Heartbeat
by Aria6
Summary: Grimmjow is a land guard of the harsh land of Inuziri, and Ichigo is a gardener in the beautiful land of Lazare. How do they meet, and what happens when they do? Many lemons, some angst. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Ichigo could still remember that morning so clearly.

There had been no reason for him to fly over the borderlands. He was not a land ward, not any kind of protector. His place in life was to tend to his garden, gently asking the land to provide them with food. The land responded to his touch, and working in his garden was always a pleasure for him.

But that morning, he had been restless, sensing a vague threat to his garden. He was not a fighter, but he'd winged out just the same, unwilling to sit idly by while something touched his senses. And his feelings were too vague for him to summon a land ward. Perhaps if he could find out what was bothering him…

He'd never expected to find something so huge, amazing and horrible. Mouth agape, he'd watched as a hideous worm had erupted from the ground. It was surrounded by sand, which most certainly did not belong in this land. But then his eyes had been dazzled by blue light and when the sparks had cleared, he'd seen a strange, feral being fighting the worm. He'd stared at white armored plating and long, blue hair that slid past his ass. He couldn't make out much more of the person fighting, but he could hear the man laughing maniacally as he dodged spines that could easily spell his death.

Ichigo lost his heart in that moment, but he would only realize that later. For now, he stared in horror and frantically tried to summon a land ward. He could feel the powers responding, but it would take some time for a land ward to reach him. Then great claws of blue ripped through the sky and he yelped, ducking as one passed overhead. They ripped into the room, who screamed and thrashed. Then, to his amazement, the blue warrior dove into its exposed guts.

Ichigo had never imagined that worms could scream, but this was no natural worm. He reeled in pain as the sound seemed to go on and on, rising to an agonizing pitch. Then it finally stopped and the worm collapsed. Ichigo came in for a landing as the body stopped twitching, searching for the blue warrior.

He flinched as part of the worm exploded in a shower of gore, then swore lightly as he was showered with blood. That was going to be impossible to get out of his yukata, and it was a rather good one. Then he blinked as the white and blue warrior stepped out. There was blood smeared across his face and in his hair, but the white armoring seemed to repel it. Ichigo studied him, fascinated, and realized the white was actually bone and appeared to be part of his body. But it covered his genitals. How did that work? Could he make it vanish when he wanted to? Presumably he had to go to the bathroom… Then he blinked as he realized the other was staring at him just as intently. Brown eyes met blue in a timeless moment, then blue eyes suddenly widened.

"LOOK OUT!" Ichigo started at the scream and began to turn just as a hard hand slapped into his shoulder, shoving him out of the way with enough force to send him tumbling. Ichigo rolled for a moment then managed to catch himself and look back.

To his absolute horror, the white warrior had been impaled on a brown, spiky limb. It had gone through his belly and up into his chest and now, blood was staining the shattered white bone. The blue haired man coughed, and blood dripped out of his mouth. Then there was a hissing chitter and the barbed limb was roughly retracted, taking bits and pieces of flesh with it. The warrior hit the ground with a thump and Ichigo went pale as he realized a strange, mantis like creature was rising out of the sand. And it was intent on him, not the man it had just killed.

Or at least, they both assumed he was dead. That assumption was extremely faulty and Ichigo's eyes went wide and disbelieving as those blue claws rent the heavens again. The monster screamed pitifully as it was slashed, and the man surged to his feet, beheading it in one smooth move. More blood splattered Ichigo's yukata but he didn't care, just staring as the warrior looked at him. His blue eyes were electric and incredibly beautiful, full of ferocity and fire. But then his eyes widened as that fire died and the warrior collapsed again.

"No!" He ran to the man, gently turning him onto his back. "No no no…" He whispered to himself as he frantically tried to do something about the injuries. He wasn't specifically a healer, but his gift with plants translated well to the healing arts.

"Heh. Are all land wards this wimpy, almost gettin' impaled by a Dweller?" He looked into the man's face, astonished that he was talking. A wicked smile was on his lips, and Ichigo could see sharp white teeth. Flexible, blue furred ears flexed as the man hissed in pain.

"I'm not a land ward. I'm a gardener." Ichigo said as he gathered healing power and let it flow into the stranger. His eyes widened, then he laughed.

"A fucking farmer! You have some guts for a farmer." Ichigo blushed at the warm growl of approval. "But you shouldn't bother tryin' to heal me. That's a mortal wound." He said it as casually as if he was saying that the sun was bright or the water was wet. Ichigo stared at him, utterly speechless. "What? I'll just go for rebirth. It's all been done before."

"No!" Ichigo couldn't accept that. "I've just met you. Who are you?" He demanded, pouring more and more healing power into the body beneath his hands. The warrior sighed, letting his eyes close for a moment.

"Grimmjow's my name, killing's my game. I'm a land guard." Ichigo's eyes widened as he recognized the term. His homeland of Lazare had land wards. The dark land of Inuziri had land guards, who performed the same functions. "Fucking thing somehow managed to burrow here. They can do that if they get a hold of a good ley line nexus, ya know. Don't know how we missed this one but I had t' clean up the mess." Then he grunted, shivering. "F-Fuck… I'm serious. You're just gonna make my death more painful and drawn out. Half those fucking barbs broke off inside me. I'm not gonna come back from that." He sounded so certain, so accepting that tears filled Ichigo's eyes for a moment.

"No!" He couldn't help the small sob he made and the man looked at him in surprise. "I'm Ichigo. We have good healers here, and the land wards will be coming soon. We can fix you." He wasn't sure of that at all, but he knew he had to try. "You can't die for me." That hurt more than anything. If he hadn't been stupid, Grimmjow would be just fine right now. The land guard huffed out a laugh.

"Dying is what I'm for, just like your land wards – ah, that's pretty sight." Ichigo followed his gaze and saw three land wards spiralling in for a landing. Grimmjow was right, the way their feathered wings glittered in the sun was beautiful. "I always wondered why you people have wings. I can fly too, but I don't use wings for it. But I do run on the ground a lot… wears me out to fly a lot. Does it wear you people out?" Ichigo looked at him, surprised, and realized the warrior was trying to distract himself from the pain.

"No, flying is natural for us." He answered honestly. "And with the floating islands, it's necessary." Half of Lazare was high in the sky, floating over the world. Grimmjow blinked.

"Floating islands? Seriously?" Ichigo couldn't help but smile at the disbelief in the land guard's voice. But then, he'd never seen Lazare. Then the land wards were there, two of them tending to the man as the third pulled him to the side. Ichigo looked at Grimmjow, seeing the man had turned his head to keep watching him.

"What happened here?" The land ward said, cool and businesslike. Ichigo took a deep breath and gave a quick report of the encounter. He could tell the land ward was less than impressed with his decision to investigate his feelings. And he was even less impressed with Grimmjow's presence in Lazare. "Return to your home." The land ward told him but Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't leave without knowing what was going to happen to Grimmjow. The three land wards conferred for a moment and he saw the female of the three shaking her head. The man he'd spoken to nodded, and drew his sword.

"No!" The land ward swore as Ichigo grabbed his wrist, preventing him from putting the blade through the fallen warrior. "What are you doing? He killed it! We need to heal him!"

"He is going to die." The female warrior tried to sound gentle as Ichigo stared at her, tears filling his eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is the only merciful thing to do."

"No! We can take him to the hospital in Ryoko." He said sharply. Of course, no Inuziri was supposed to go there, but right now Ichigo did not care. The land wards all looked at him in disbelief. "He fought to save our land, he doesn't deserve to die!" He shoved them out of the way, letting his power shine for a moment. Ichigo knew he was very strong for a gardener, and in some ways his power could eclipse a land ward. It took immense strength to tend a garden as large as his.

"Hmph. As you will, lord." The man said, making the title a curse. Ichigo winced but stayed firm, gathering Grimmjow up in his arms. "But if it were one of us, we would do the same thing. You are only prolonging his pain." Ichigo shook his head, refusing to believe that. Then an arm went around his shoulders and he blinked, looking into Grimmjow's face.

"I'm willin' to suffer a bit longer." He whispered, looking raptly into Ichigo's face. Ichigo blushed lightly at the intent look in those blue eyes. "To see a bit more of you." Ichigo could sense the land ward's puzzlement, but ignored them as he took to the sky.

Grimmjow was not going to die. He was going to make sure of it.

* * *

That had been a week ago, and Ichigo was beginning to face the fact that he was wrong.

The hospital in Ryoko had given the Inuziri man wonderful care. They'd carefully extracted all the barbs, and done their best to counteract the poison. Grimmjow and the land wards hadn't mentioned that, but Ichigo was certain they had known. It explained why they had been so sure he would die.

And they were right. The wound was festering despite everything the medics could do, and while most of the time Grimmjow was perfectly lucid and in minimal pain, his eyes sometimes glazed over and his expression turned agonized. He never made a sound during those episodes, but Ichigo wanted to grip his shoulders and weep into his skin. He'd done the wrong thing, bringing the land guard here.

"Calm down." Ichigo blinked as Grimmjow's voice came back. The blue haired man was smiling at him now, only beads of sweat on his skin to show how much pain he was in. "I could'a said no, y'know. I wanted to see Lazare. It's pretty, ain't it?"

"Y-Yes." Ichigo choked the word out, tears filling his eyes again. He was crying so much lately. Why did Grimmjow mean so much to him? There was a grumble in his mind and Ichigo froze as he felt the touch of a greater power.

_He is not for you. He is Inuziri, his soul is cold and cannot bond with yours._ Ichigo winced as he heard the words of the Creator. All the inhabitants of Lazare sometimes heard him, usually when they were doing something he very much did not approve of. And he knew the Creator was right about the bonding. Grimmjow's soul could not join with his, only his body… and, perhaps, his heart.

"Grimmjow…" Ichigo touched a black, clawed hand and waited for blue eyes to meet brown. "I – would you like to have sex with me?" He blurted out, to the land guard's astonishment. Grimmjow stared at him in shock for a moment, then tossed his head back in a wild laugh.

"A pity fuck, is it? Well, you're out of my mind if you think I'll say no." Ichigo stared as Grimmjow pulled the blanket off himself, exposing his body. A bit of the armor vanished, revealing his privates. Well, that answered the question of how he went to the bathroom. Ichigo blushed at the thought and stared at the beautiful, feral form. "Well? Ugh." Grimmjow grunted in pain as he tried to sit up. Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly gripped his shoulders, pushing him back.

"Don't do that." Ichigo said, suddenly concerned that copulation might kill the land guard. But he was dying anyway. He could give the man this last moment of glory and pleasure. Grimmjow settled back as Ichigo undid his yukata, tossing the soft fabric onto the floor. Beneath it, he wore nothing. Ichigo paused as he saw Grimmjow looking at him appreciatively.

"You're fucking beautiful. I love those little feathers." Ichigo blushed as a clawed hand an over his peach colored skin, finding the soft, downy feathers that sparkled on his body. They were the same gold as his wings, and he'd been told before how beautiful they were. Feathers on the body was not really a common trait. "Pretty angel."

"Mmm." Ichigo didn't quite agree with that term. He'd known too many Lazare who were anything but angelic. But he wasn't going to disagree right now, and he lowered his face to Grimmjow's crotch, exploring soft skin with lips and tongue. To his surprise, he found that Grimmjow was lightly furred in unexpected places. It was soft, surprisingly soft for hair in that spot. To his further surprise, the land guard smelled good. Like salty sweat, musk and vanilla. He didn't taste bad, either, and Ichigo enjoyed taking the man into his mouth.

_This is very foolish, what you are doing._ Ichigo ignored the warning, bobbing his head up and down on the man in front of him. Grimmjow was moaning and spreading his legs, clawed hands digging into the bed. _He is not for you._

"Don't care." Ichigo breathed as he slowly licked Grimmjow's straining member. The land guard's eyes were fluttering and he could see the man was in pain as his abdomen tensed, but he didn't stop. He could tell Grimmjow wanted this, no matter how pain it required. "Mmm." Ichigo closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment. There was no reason male Lazare could not copulate with other males, and the Creator had made it possible for them to do so without pain. Satisfied that he was ready, Ichigo climbed up the straining body and gripped Grimmjow's cock, easing himself down onto the hot, thick flesh. "Ah!" There was no pain, only pleasure as his muscles closed over the Inuziri man. Grimmjow made a low, primal sound that ignited a fire in Ichigo's belly and made his head spin.

"You are fucking gorgeous." Grimmjow panted out as he thrust up into the body that was riding his. "Yeah… yeah…" Then he groaned, a sound so full of pain that Ichigo shivered. "Fuck!" Ichigo's eyes went wide as the Inuziri suddenly changed their positions, flipping him onto his back and thrusting into him harshly. Ichigo moaned wantonly at the intense heat in Grimmjow's eyes, the primal desire of the man who was fucking him. He'd had lovers before, but it had always been… gentle. Not hard and hot and primitive like the land guard. Clawed fingers raised little lines of blood on his sides, but Ichigo didn't care, the pain blending with the pleasure into a stunning, glorious whole. He'd never known he liked pain during sex before…

_You should not. This is wrong._ The Creator's disapproval could have been cut with a knife, but Ichigo was too far gone to care. He moaned out Grimmjow's name, gripping blue hair and drowning in the other man's mouth. The hot, thick flesh inside him was torturing him in all the best ways, rubbing against his prostate again and again in their quest for pleasure. Then he heard Grimmjow gasp.

"Sh-Shit… too far… fuck!" Ichigo blinked as he felt something wet against his stomach. "Fucking me to death, what a beautiful way to go." That concerned him for a moment, but then Grimmjow nailed his prostate again and the young angel arched, crying out as his release suddenly came close.

"Grimmjow. Grimmjow!" He panted out the other man's name, not caring who might hear, not caring about anything except the hot pleasure and the warrior who was giving it to him. "Yes!" He cried out his affirmation as his pleasure skyrocketed, his seed spilling between the two of them. He felt Grimmjow pause for just a moment, then thrust into him even more powerfully. Limp and spent, Ichigo smiled as he felt the other man tense, the power of his orgasm sending a ripple through his body.

But it might not have been his orgasm, but rather, something ripping inside. Ichigo's eyes went wide in horror as a torrent of hot wetness suddenly drenched his belly. It was not his seed, not anything that should ever be outside the body. And Grimmjow was collapsed on him, trying to muffle his coughs with a pillow. The pillow was bright red with blood.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo tried to separate from him, tried to get him help, but the land guard held him in place with a surprisingly strong grip.

"Fucking to death… best way to go." Grimmjow's voice was faint and Ichigo turned his head to meet dying blue eyes. There was blood all over his lips, dripping down his chin, and those lovely eyes were going dark. "Thanks, Ichigo." The land guard nuzzled his cheek for a moment before dropping his head, and Ichigo felt the soft tickle of breath against his skin. A feeling that stopped a moment later.

"GRIMMJOW!" The agonized scream shook his whole body, and Ichigo touched Grimmjow's throat, trying to find a pulse. There was nothing, just warm and pliant skin. Skin that would be cold, soon. "No! Grimmjow… no…" Ichigo sobbed, holding the man he had just met, yet somehow felt that he loved.

Love that had ended far too soon.


	2. The Game Begins

_You are neglecting your duties._

"I am not." Ichigo muttered as he walked through the orchard, pausing occasionally to gently touch a tree. A tiny bit of power followed his touches, strengthening and healing. Or, on occasion, killing. Something had to die so something else could eat and trees were no exception.

His garden was immense. In Lazare, the land gave freely, and all the plants he tended were perennials. They survived year round, giving little pieces of themselves in return for his care. Right now he was tending to the tangled orchard, filled with a riot of fruiting trees. There were dozens of different kinds of trees, more than Ichigo could conveniently count. He tended them all and encouraged them to give back freely.

The garden was beautiful, and Ichigo knew he was fulfilling is duties. But… he was not going beyond them. It was beautiful and lush, but the orchard could have been better. It had been better, a year ago, before he'd met the wild land guard from Inuziri.

Ichigo paused, looking at a patch of bluebells on the ground. There were bluebells everywhere in the orchard, and it pained him to look at them. They reminded him of incredibly blue eyes and when he remembered those eyes, everything else came with them. The rough sound of his voice, the wonderful smell of him, the feeling of those clawed hands on his skin…

_It has been a year. You should be past this ridiculous infatuation._ Ichigo paled, his hands clenching into fists. The Creator spoke to him so often now, he was starting to hate it. _This unnatural desire is like a sickness, devouring you from inside._

"Shut up! I'm tending to my duties." Ichigo heard his voice break on the words and hated it. "I can't just claim back my heart." He whispered. There were three parts to every person in the Inuziri and the Lazare… the body, the heart and the soul. Ichigo knew the problem lay with his heart. His soul could never touch Grimmjow's, and his body was unharmed. But his heart had gone wandering and refused to return.

_This should never have happened in the first place._ The Creator's tone was very tart and Ichigo bit his lip as he inspected an apple tree. Then he checked and found, to his satisfaction, that the animals wandering his lands were doing their jobs quite well. The tree had plenty of fertilizer. _And don't ignore me!_

"What can I say?" Ichigo said, feeling weary now. "It happened and it's over. I'll tend to my duties, I just… can't give more right now. Maybe that will change someday." He didn't know if it ever would, though. The lack of his heart was crippling his performance. But as long as the gardens still delivered the basic requirements, he was fulfilling his duties.

_Hmph._ Ichigo felt the Creator's presence vanish from his mind, and felt only relief as he left the orchard. Next, he would be tending to the animals. Things tended to run themselves, except during harvest time, but there was still a great deal of work to be done. Sometimes, it was too much work, and then he sent for help from the city. But for now he would be fine, and the work was a distraction from the pain of his lost heart.

Hopefully, time would dull that pain. It was the only hope he had.

* * *

_What do you want?_ If mortal ears had been able to hear the sound of that voice, it would have been a dark purr, full of the potential for violence. It hinted at the nature of the owner, a nature that was free and untamed, as apt for destruction as its children.

_One of my land wardens is verging on insufferable._ The second voice was cold and pure, also hinting at the nature of the owner. Someone who embodied order, quiet building and the taming of the wild lands. _I want the soul of your land guard._

_Which one? I do have so many._ The first voice said indifferently, but there was an undertone of amused malice to the words. The second voice hissed.

_You know precisely which one I mean._ There was a pause, then the second voice spoke with a bit of apprehension. _You haven't rebirthed him already, have you?_ That process typically wiped any memories of the previous life, although there could be flashes. The first voice made a guttural growl.

_No. He is useless to me in his current condition. A condition that, I suspect, mirrors that of your land warden._ There was displeasure in the first voice at admitting that. The second voice pounced on that admission.

_Then you have nothing to lose by giving him to me._ The second voice pointed out.

_I have nothing to gain by giving him to you._ The first voice countered. _You will have both pieces, and a land warden is more valuable than a land guard._ They both knew that was true. They both spawned dozens, even hundreds of land wards and land guards to keep their worlds balanced. Land wardens were a more advanced piece in the game they played. _Why should I help you heal your warden?_

_It is a game._ The second voice said calmly. _I think the warden will realize his mistake. He cannot bond to the soul of your guard. So, here is the game. Give me your land guard for the period of five years, and we will see if the warden comes to his senses. If not, I will give you both pieces to do with as you will. How is that?_ There was a long pause as the first voice mulled over the offer.

_Intriguing. But I must demand that I be allowed to speak to Grimmjow and see through his eyes. I do not want to miss any of this._ That caused another long pause, as the second voice considered the demand.

_Very well, but no trying to cheat. I will be watching._ The second voice warned, and the first voice laughed.

_Of course you will._ They would both be watching very closely, now.

This would be a fun game.

* * *

_Ichigo._

"What is it?" Ichigo said wearily. He'd spent the entire day working on the rice paddies. Rice was one of the few crops where every bit of effort that went into it was repaid with extra rice. If you could make the paddy just that bit more level, or pluck off that much more of the pests, you would be rewarded. It was hard, hard work and Ichigo had plenty of hands to do it, but his power was not needed elsewhere. So he'd given his body to the rice.

_I have acquired the soul of your land guard._ That made him jolt upright, a hand flying to his mouth as brown eyes went wide. _It is yours to do with as you will. Hopefully this will help your work ethic._ The voice was tart again but Ichigo hardly cared.

"You did… you… how could you do that? He belongs to the Destroyer!" Ichigo protested. He knew that was what the Inuziri called their ultimate lord. "What did you trade for him?" The Destroyer would have demanded something, he knew that. The two powers were not friends.

_That is not your business. Now, what shall I do with this soul? Shall I put him into the body of one of our people, or keep his Inuziri form?_ The Creator said, all business. Ichigo swallowed and thought about it a moment. Putting Grimmjow in the form of an angel would accomplish nothing. No one looking into those wild, fierce eyes could mistake him for a Lazare.

"Give him back his normal form." Ichigo said and stared as a blue light began to form. Tears filled his eyes as he saw a body being put together, from the inside out. He'd heard of this kind of rebirth, although it was usually reserved only for the highest of powers… or those who required a special touch from the Creator. It was a bit nauseating to watch, but there was finally a limp, unmoving body on the grass. Then a small bundle of blue light was dropped into it and the body drew a ragged breath. "Grimmjow?" Ichigo said tentatively, looking at the white warrior lying on the ground. Eyelids fluttered and he swallowed as he was impaled by bright blue eyes.

"Yeah, that's me." The warrior pushed himself up with a grunt, blinking and rubbing his head. "How am I alive? …And where the hell am I?" He looked around with a frown and Ichigo almost giggled as he tried to imagine how he would explain. "You did WHAT with me?" Grimmjow exclaimed and Ichigo blinked before realizing he had to be speaking to the Destroyer. "Why, you unutterable bastard!"

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo said uncertainly as he saw the blue eyes take on a distant quality. He was clearly listening hard to the voice of his ultimate power. "What is the Destroyer saying?" He was quite curious. Grimmjow blinked then scowled, blue eyes fixing on his again.

"All the time I was waiting to be reborn, I was dreaming about you." Ichigo shivered, swallowing hard at the warm, growling voice of his lover. "Wanting to see you again, wanting to hold you and rub my scent all over you. Wanting to claim you as my own. The Destroyer says I'm no use to him pining like a bitch, so he's let the Creator have me. He also said something I'm not gonna repeat about you." Grimmjow added, and Ichigo was not terribly surprised.

"No one is happy with us right now." He said. That observation might be the understatement of the year. "Do you want to stay in my rooms with me?" He asked shyly then blinked as the land guard looked bemused.

"Rooms? I haven't had a room since… actually, I've never had a room." Ichigo blinked at that. "Unless you count the dorms, and I sure as hell don't. Yeah, I'd love to share a room with you." Grimmjow purred and Ichigo smiled, hugging the land guard for a moment. His smile widened as he felt hard, muscles arms surround him. This was probably going to go very strange places, and he had no idea what the other Lazare would make of a land guard in their midst.

But no matter how strange it got, Ichigo was going to follow his heart.

* * *

"So… a goat." Grimmjow was looking at the nanny goat hungrily. Ichigo sighed to himself as he took her to the milking stand. "Can I eat it?"

"No." He said firmly. "You're going to learn how to milk her." Grimmjow looked puzzled and glanced down at his hands. Ichigo followed his gaze and frowned as he remembered the claws. "You… can you make those claws go away?"

"Nah, but I can do this." Grimmjow flexed his hands and the claws retracted until they were flush with the tips of his fingers. "It's a bit uncomfortable to hold 'em this way." He said, looking at his hands and Ichigo bit his lip.

"Well, maybe I can get gloves for you. For now, just do it as long as you can." He said, determined to give Grimmjow a tutorial on the art of goat milking. The land guard shrugged and took a seat. To Ichigo's surprise, he caught on very quickly. Although perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. He'd already realized there was a very sharp mind lurking behind those fierce blue eyes.

Ichigo's home was very large, built to accommodate all the workers who helped him tend to the gardens and animals. Grimmjow had been through every inch of it, panicking the maids and alarming the hands. Ichigo found his endless curiosity endearing, and also very useful. Grimmjow was always willing to try something new, and there were plenty of tasks on the farm that he could teach the land guard. Grimmjow also was very willing to work, although Ichigo could tell he was missing something about his old life. He wanted to ask about it, but he wasn't sure how.

"Hey!" Ichigo looked up and snickered to himself at Grimmjow's howl. "You evil bitch!" With malice aforethought, the goat had kicked over the milk bucket. Ichigo managed to grip the land guard's wrist before he would have made them an impromptu goat stew.

"They do things like that all the time." He soothed the man, who looked at him with furious blue eyes. "Don't worry about it, everyone loses a few buckets when they're learning. Goats are very smart, they know when you're not practiced." The goat bleated, and Ichigo winced as Grimmjow muttered something about fresh meat. Ichigo smiled as he rinsed out the bucket.

He loved Grimmjow's attitude, even if it was a bit of a pain sometimes. Curious, rough mannered, hot tempered and always ready for a fight… Ichigo loved all of it. No one else did, though. Grimmjow frightened all the people at the farm, and irritated the land wards. He hadn't taken the land guard to the city yet, but he was sure he wouldn't get along any better there. Ichigo bit his lip as he gently petted a nanny goat.

"Grimmjow?" He said looked for the warrior then couldn't help but laugh. Grimmjow was swearing softly and trying to rescue his hair from a curious goat. "Why don't we go somewhere to talk?" He suggested and the land guard scowled as he yanked his hair away.

"Yeah, sounds great. I hate these fucking things." He groused and Ichigo smiled, taking his hand. The land guard flicked him a glance and smiled, showing those beautiful, sharp fangs. "Let's go up the tower."

"Sure." The house had an old bell tower. It was perfect for quiet reflections and Ichigo spread his wings, taking to the sky. Grimmjow followed behind, just as fast and agile in the sky, even though it wasn't his element. It didn't take long for them to reach the bell tower, and Ichigo paused for a moment to look over his home. From this far above, he could see the dark slate roofs, the chimney's venting smoke and the fields spread around the house. The land was tamed and cultivated as far as the eye could see.

"This place. Don't you have any forests and shit here? I mean real forests, not orchards?" Grimmjow said behind him and Ichigo shook his head, turning to look at the white warrior. He was looking over the grounds with a bit of disgust.

"No. That's not what Lazare is about." Ichigo said softly. He could imagine what a forest would be like, but he'd never seen a real one. Grimmjow looked at him a moment, then smiled, running his tongue over sharp teeth.

"That shit is what Inuziri is all about. We don't have any farms." Ichigo tilted his head, wondering how they could feed the people without farms. The populations of Inuziri and Lazare were identical. They had to be, to balance the two worlds. And Lazare was heavily populated, so it stood to reason that Inuziri was too. "Hey, sit down. I want to hold you." Ichigo smiled at that and took a seat on the edge of the tower, shivering slightly as Grimmjow sat behind him. Strong arms curled around him and he settled back comfortably, feeling protected and safe. "What did you want to talk about?" Grimmjow asked after a moment and Ichigo blinked. He'd almost forgotten.

"I'm just worried about you." He admitted, feeling a bit stupid as Grimmjow made a confused sound. But he couldn't help but be worried. "You don't seem to have any friends, except for me." That really did concern Ichigo. Grimmjow was so isolated here. But the land guard threw back his head with a bray of laughter.

"Friends? What the hell are you talkin' about? Land guards don't have friends, not ones like me, anyway." Ichigo tilted his head, making a confused sound. Grimmjow's arms tightened around him for a moment. "Look, Ichigo, Inuziri is nothing like this place. I can tell you about it if you want to know."

"I would love to know." Ichigo said sincerely. He wanted to know the place that had created someone as dangerous and amazing as Grimmjow. The land guard ran a hand through Ichigo's hair and he smiled, arching into the touch. He loved it when Grimmjow touched him like that.

"Okay. I guess we should start with basics. I was hatched in the sands of Hueco Mundo." He said, and Ichigo blinked, already surprised. Hatched? "I never knew my dam, nevermind my sire. Some mated pairs tend to an egg, but most just bury it in the sand and leave it. I was one of those." Grimmjow didn't sound at all sad about it. To the contrary, he sounded proud. "I hatched out and made my way in the world, killin' what I could and hidin' from what I couldn't. When I was old enough and strong enough, I tried to kill a land guard. He knew what I was right off and dragged my savage little ass to Los Noches. Then I got tamed by the King's guard and all the land guard teachers. Ah, they hated me so bad." Grimmjow grinned and Ichigo tried to imagine it. What had Grimmjow been like as a child? He sounded like an absolute hellion. "I hated the discipline at first, but it was nice having a purpose, y'know? And when the Destroyer started talking to me, I felt like I'd found my best friend. The only friend I'd ever need in the world." That definitely surprised Ichigo. His relationship with the Creator had never been at all warm. "All young land guards get put onto one of the forests, not the Heuco Mundo or Hielo Arena. So I got sent to Desolador Pinar. That's grim pine forest, you'd say. Hielo Arena means ice sands." Grimmjow translated and Ichigo nodded. "I beat the shit out of anything that needed it, and before you could spit I got promoted and sent back to Hueco Mundo. Felt like going home."

"Okay." Ichigo nodded, but he was still confused. "But why wouldn't you have friends?" He didn't understand that part. Grimmjow hesitated a moment.

"Yeah… look. There's never enough food in Inuziri. Like, not ever." He said, this time very seriously. "We hunt and herd, because we can't eat the plants. They've got crystals in 'em, they'll tear your guts out." Ichigo's eyes went wide at that, and he glanced over the farmland. No wonder this place was so strange and new to Grimmjow. "So… during the training, they did a weeding out process. Anyone who wasn't strong enough got eaten. So no one in the dorms was friendly to each other. Why get friendly with someone who might be in the mess hall as a dish the next day?" Ichigo felt faint, especially at the matter of fact way Grimmjow put it. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"That's horrible." Ichigo whispered. Lazare had nothing like that. Starvation was not permitted here. Grimmjow huffed a laugh, cuddling him close for a moment.

"That's Inuziri for you. She's a harsh bitch and no mistake. I did have a few friends in Desolador Pinar. Lots of people live in the forests, they're the places where you've got a good shot of finding food. But when I went to Hueco Mundo, well… there ain't anyone there. You can go for months without finding any sign that anyone was ever there, and when you finally do find somethin' it's usually just some old ruins or a burnt out campfire. The only real people who live there are hatchlings and the Quasar. The hatchlings'll run, unless they're old enough to try to kill ya, and the Quasar'll kill a land guard as soon as look at 'em. So you learn to get on without friends. Except for the Destroyer in your head." Grimmjow's gaze was distant and Ichigo sensed he was caught up in memories of hot sands and endless patrols. "Everyone wants to be a land guard. We don't need to eat, y'know, the Destroyer feeds us. It's a damn fine thing."

"Really? Huh." Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of that. He didn't think the Creator did anything like that for the land wards. "Were you happy there?" He couldn't help the sadness in his voice. He felt like he'd removed Grimmjow from his natural environment. The feral warrior didn't belong in his carefully tended farm. There was a long pause as the land guard thought about it.

"Happy…?" He mused, tasting the word. "Happy. Heh. Y'know, I don't think I've ever been happy in my life." Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as warm lips explored his throat, teeth gently nipping the soft skin. "I've been content, I've been okay with it, but happy… nah. Not until I found you, Ichigo. But y'know, there's one thing you could do to make me happy."

"What's that?" Ichigo said, his voice breathy and his body already responding to Grimmjow's lips and tongue. But the land guard had something else on his mind.

"Let me teach you to fight." He said and Ichigo's eyes went wide. No one had ever asked him to do such a thing before. Fighting was not something a land warden was ever supposed to do, unless the land itself was threatened. Then, of course, their power was massive. But it was supposed to be wielded with the mind, not with body and sword. "Those fucking land wards won't spar with me, the pansies. And your people don't know how to fight. I'm itching for a good battle and I can feel you're powerful. Let me train you."

"It's not really that kind of power." But Ichigo was already weakening. He knew the Creator wouldn't approve, but his work had been much better since Grimmjow arrived. He didn't need to be watching the gardens every minute. And… the truth was, he was dying to learn how to fight. He'd always wanted it, somewhere deep in his soul. "Just don't hurt me too bad." He said, a touch apprehensively as Grimmjow growled a laugh.

"Training is supposed to hurt. Don't be a pansy. But I'll keep it to bruises, no blood or broken bones." Grimmjow promised and Ichigo nodded, accepting that. Some bruises were probably necessary. "Now, maybe I could make you happy?" Ichigo blinked then gasped as Grimmjow's hand deftly slipped between the folds of his yukata. "Oh yeah, don't wear this for practice. Wear something like the land wards wear, or you'll be getting an awesome case of road rash." Grimmjow advised him, breathing in his ear as a large, callused hand began to slowly caress his most intimate parts. Ichigo moaned but made a mental note of it. He'd seen some pretty awesome cases of road rash, when someone was flying and made a spectacularly bad landing. He really didn't want one of his own. "Shit, I want to take you right here. But you'd get splinters up your ass." The land guard muttered and Ichigo laughed, glancing down at the old bell tower. Grimmjow was dead right about the condition of the wood.

"Why don't we make use of those armor plates of yours?" He suggested, smiling. Grimmjow considered it, grinning widely.

"I'd have to keep the ones on my butt, so you can't top. Sure, why not?" Grimmjow said agreeably and pulled away, letting Ichigo get to his feet. The Lazare boy danced onto the open air, fluttering in place as the Inuziri man settled himself down onto the thin piece of wood that made up the outer edge of the tower. Then he slipped back, setting his hands on Grimmjow's chest and letting his weight rest on his lover. He knew from experience that Grimmjow would hardly notice the pressure. Their lips met in a hot, demanding kiss and Ichigo sighed as the tie on his yukata was gently pulled open. The fabric fluttered out into the air, falling down onto the roof, and he couldn't bring himself to care.

"I love you, Grimmjow." He whispered in the land guard's ear as they ground together, stimulating each other without anything but the feeling of their bodies together. Grimmjow growled under him, a low, primal sound that sent a shiver up Ichigo's spine and went straight to his pleasure centers.

"I love you too, you crazy Lazare." Grimmjow gripped his hair then, pulling Ichigo down for a deep and searching kiss. "No idea how the hell this happened, but I love you." Ichigo's eyes half-closed as Grimmjow nuzzles his throat, sucking on the soft skin. Then gentle hands, the claws carefully sheathed, massaged his rump before lifting him up. "You ready?"

"Oh yes." Ichigo murmured, then groaned in pleasure as Grimmjow eased him down on his thick erection. "Ah!" He loved the feeling of being filled by this man. His other lovers had never made him feel this complete. Some part of him did try to make the connection to Grimmjow's soul, though, and fumbled it. Ichigo ignored that feeling, focusing on the body and the heart. Grimmjow's soul was closed to him, but his heart was full. "Grimmjow!" He took a fistful of blue hair, moaning softly as that thick length slid in and out of his body, proceeding at a slow, torturous pace. "F-Faster…" It felt so good, and he desperately wanted more. Grimmjow chuckled, slipping a hand behind Ichigo's head and pulling him down for another deep, intimate kiss.

"You're the best lover I've ever had." Grimmjow's hot, heavy voice made Ichigo groan. Then a crazy idea came to him and the land warden grinned widely at the land guard.

"Want a surprise, Grimmy?" He whispered heavily and Grimmjow blinked before grinning back.

"I love surprises." He purred and Ichigo wondered if he'd still think so after he got this one. But it was too good an idea to pass up, and Ichigo adjusted his weight. Grimmjow stiffened as he saw Ichigo pull up his leg, bracing a sandal clad foot on the wood. "Wait! What're you – AH!" Ichigo shoved them both off the wood, and they were falling towards the roof. But golden wings unfurled, catching them easily as Ichigo held Grimmjow close. They rose into the air as the Lazare boy looked into panicked and furious blue eyes.

"Lazare mate on the wing, sometimes." Ichigo murmured into his ear before licking the delicate skin, moaning as Grimmjow bit his shoulder hard enough to leave a mark. The mating had stopped, but now it resumed, Grimmjow pounding into him even harder than before as the terror inflamed his lust.

"Inuziri don't, y'know." The land guard panted as they soared high into the air. Ichigo was blind to everything except the lust in his body, trusting in the fates to guide him through the sky. The chance of hitting anything was miniscule anyway. He carried Grimmjow easily, his golden power surrounding the blue haired man in a corona of light. "Shit, you are so fucking beautiful!" Ichigo twisted them in the air so Grimmjow's hair spilled over him, teasing his sensitive skin. Grimmjow's claws bit into his back and he arched, enjoying the pleasure and pain, letting it take him to dizzying heights.

"So are you." Ichigo whispered as he stared up into that feral, beautiful face. Blue eyes met brown and he felt like his heart was laid bare, giving everything it was and ever could be to the man in his arms. "Grimmjow!" Ichigo rolled them again as his lover gripped his ass, pulling him into every powerful thrust. Grimmjow's hair hung lung a beautiful curtain beneath him, blowing wildly in the wind of their passing. "Oh yes!" Ichigo arched, unaware of anything but the feel of the body inside him, the wind on his skin and the pleasure burning up his mind. Pleasure that abruptly exploded, tearing through him like the hand of a god. "Yes!" He cried his affirmation to the world as he reached him climax, and Grimmjow howled like a wild animal as he followed close behind.

"Fuck yes!" Ichigo panted in pure pleasure as he felt Grimmjow empty himself inside him, filling him with warmth and light. The pace of their ascent slowed as he regained control, and Ichigo brought them to a stop. For a moment they stared at each other, trembling with the aftershocks of coitus. Then Grimmjow looked down and gave a shockingly girlish scream. "Fuck! How the fuck?! How high are we!" Ichigo almost laughed as the land guard clutched him in terror.

"Not that high." Ichigo soothed him, then looked down and blinked. "Well… rather high." He was glad he hadn't gone much higher. It was already cold up here, and he had no bone plates to cut the wind. Grimmjow whimpered and Ichigo nuzzled his cheek. "It's perfectly safe. We Lazare fly higher than this all the time." That was a bit of an exaggeration. Some of the floating islands were higher than this, but not many. Grimmjow didn't seem in the least bit comforted.

"Can we go back down? Please? I'm scared." Grimmjow admitted without a bit of shame. "We just don't do this shit. Any land guard would be scared of this." He added, a bit defensively as Ichigo looked at him. The land warden laughed, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Just hold my hand and fly with me." He whispered, and sighed as they slowly separated. Then he took Grimmjow's hand, gently enfolding him in golden force. Even if the land guard's strength failed before they reached the ground, he would not fall. Ichigo would see to that. "I love you, Grimmjow." He wasn't sure why he was saying it again, but it seemed like a good time. Grimmjow paused then gave him a huge, toothy grin.

"I love you too, you fucking nutcase." Ichigo was smiling as they came in for a landing at the farm. He'd lost his yukata completely, but he just didn't care.

Grimmjow loved him. That was all that mattered.


	3. Life in Lazare

Grimmjow grinned wickedly as he kicked Ichigo in the stomach. He pulled the blow some – well, actually, pulled it a lot. He didn't want his lover to decide he wasn't worth it anymore. Ichigo narrowed his brown eyes, managing to look genuinely badass. Pretty nice from an angel with glittery gold wings.

Of course, Ichigo had plenty of excellent starting points in learning how to fight. He was strong from all his work on the farms, and naturally fast. Also, he glittered with power. Grimmjow was starting to wonder what he was, exactly. A farmer? Yeah, he was that, but he was more than that. The land guard was sure of it. He didn't know dick about how Lazare structured their society, though, and Inuziri didn't have farmers. So unless he asked he was firmly in the dark.

Grimmjow wasn't interested in asking. He was having fun trying to puzzle it out. His active mind had always been attracted to puzzles. There wasn't much to do in Hueco Mundo, but trying to figure out how a scorpion had managed to drown itself in your bottle of perfume made a pretty interesting diversion. So did trying to puzzle out the shit people had left on the old ruins. Some of that was genuinely intriguing, since Grimmjow had a smattering of the old tongue from the time he'd spent in the library, back at the academy. He could actually make out most of the pictograms and make educated guesses on the rest.

Grimmjow mused about his own mind as he fought Ichigo, giving the kid only half his attention. Strong and fast he might be, but he was still just a tyro with a sword. He needed to push Ichigo to his limits and no farther, but he could do that in his sleep. He'd been used as a trainer for a while, back in the bad old days.

Yeah, his mind was something special though. Grimmjow had always known that. It had been what pissed his trainers off, more than anything. He'd always been able to think up some clever shit to fuck with their days, and he had the same talent on the battlefield. Hey, that's a nice pole! Wouldn't it look great falling down on your head? Not that that worked well in Hueco Mundo. There wasn't much shit in the environment to manipulate, so fights usually came down to raw fire and ferocity. Which was just fine by him. Grimmjow enjoyed ripping things apart with his bare hands.

Most of the Lazare just didn't get it, though. Grimmjow knew that most of the helpers at Ichigo's farm thought he was a stupid, maniacal beast. It was weird, it was like they didn't even try to look and see what was really there. He wasn't even acting bestial, as far as he could tell. He was learning to milk goats, for fuck's sake. Could you say domesticated?

That thought pissed him off, and he turned his full attention onto Ichigo, forcing him to take it up a notch. To his surprise, the Lazare responded, actually going faster. But Grimmjow could see he was tiring rapidly now and after a rattle of blade on blade, he jumped back and lowered his sword. That was the signal to stop fighting and Ichigo took it gratefully, dropping the tip of his sword and swaying on his feet. Well, they were actually rattan wands. Grimmjow was being careful to keep his promise about the blood. The fight still gave him a bit of a thrill, though, even if there was no real danger.

"Good work Ichigo. Here, pass that over." Ichigo blinked, dazed, and handed Grimmjow the rattan wand. "I'll get these put away. You just take a walk, don't let yourself get stiff." Ichigo nodded, wincing as he rubbed his stomach. He didn't complain though, and Grimmjow smiled approvingly as he started to walk. He'd dealt with a lot of trainees who weren't half as good. Most of them had ended up as meals. If Ichigo had been in the academy, Grimmjow was certain he'd have made it through intact.

He took the wands inside, carefully cleaning them and putting them into the new weapons rack. Grimmjow was no artisan, no woodworker, but he'd described what he'd needed to Ichigo and the angel had gotten it built.

"Should get some padded armor soon." Grimmjow mused to himself. He'd have to move Ichigo to live weapons eventually, and padding would be good even with the wands. He wouldn't have to pull his blows quite so much then, and Ichigo wouldn't have to pull his. The land warden was learning to really hit him, after Grimmjow had laughed at him a few times when his hits had been baby light, but he clearly didn't like it. "Too compassionate." That was Ichigo's weakness, with him anyway. Grimmjow doubted it'd hold true against a real enemy. And they were a mated pair, so naturally they didn't want to hurt each other.

That thought made Grimmjow's heart swell with pride. He'd mated. He'd finally mated. Plenty of the land guards drained their loins like there was no tomorrow, which often there wasn't. They didn't give a fuck about the quality of their partner, just seeding random women and walking away. It was a shitty deal for the women, since then they had to bear without a sire to bring food. But there was always some whore ready to spread her legs for a land guard. Or, and he hated to think about it, some poor bitch in the wrong place at the wrong time. Inuziri could be fucking harsh and there were no punishments except what the victim and her family could give.

Grimmjow wasn't like that. He'd decided a long time ago that if he ever made an egg, he'd make sure the woman had the food to carry it to term and bury it in the sand. And then, he'd stay and guard the thing. It was tough for anyone but a land guard to do that, but they didn't need to eat. That made taking care of the egg a hell of a lot easier. Grimmjow knew a good half of all the eggs laid in Hueco Mundo got eaten by something. It was even worse in the forests and the ice sands, which was why women made special trips to Mundo just to bury their eggs.

Not that he'd be making an egg with Ichigo. They were both male, which wasn't necessarily a problem, but he was a Lazare. The Creator and the Destroyer would both pitch a fit at the idea, so they were sterile together. Grimmjow didn't really care. All he cared about was that he'd caught a damn fine mate and planned to see the whole thing through to the end.

That thought made him uneasy and he scowled at a perfectly inoffensive flower. He wasn't sure how this was going to end. He had an uneasy feeling that something was going on, at a level much higher than him and Ichigo. The Destroyer was too damned interested in him, and Grimmjow had known the prick for so long that he could get a lot out of very small hints. Something was up, and when something was up with the big guys it could get fucking bad for the little guys. His agile mind dwelled on that for a moment, trying to puzzle out exactly what the Destroyer might be up to. But he just didn't have enough information and Grimmjow turned away from the problem with a sigh.

"I need a drink." He muttered to himself. One thing he really hated about Lazare was the complete lack of alcohol. Ichigo hadn't even known what he was talking about when he'd mentioned it. "How can people who farm not know about booze?" The stuff the Inuziri brewed was harder than hell, and made out of an otherwise inedible tuber. They had to filter it to get the crystal out, and there was always some shitty batch making people puke blood. It was still worth it, and the more expensive stuff was pretty safe. You got what you paid for was definitely true for booze in the Inuziri. Grimmjow just pictured it for a moment, the fire of the evil stuff flowing down his throat and turning his blood to a raging fire. "Heh." He grinned to himself as he reflected on how he acted when he was drunk. Maybe it was just as well the Lazare didn't have any booze. Bestial? Oh yeah, he was bestial as fuck when he was drunk out of his mind.

"You're staring at that plant so hard, I'm shocked it isn't withering. What did the poor thing do to you?" Grimmjow turned, a warm feeling in his stomach at the sound of Ichigo's voice. His mate was looking good, freshly washed and wearing one of his yukata. Ichigo seemed to love those things, although he claimed he was getting fonder of the land ward uniform. Grimmjow honestly couldn't see the point of clothing. Why hide what made you beautiful?

"Nothin'. I'm just thinking." He said truthfully. "So hey, Ichigo, I was wondering. You got any books written in the old tongue?" Grimmjow asked as Ichigo looked shocked. The old tongue was the common language of Lazare and Inuziri, before the two lands were split. "What?"

"You can read the old tongue?" Ichigo sounded awed and Grimmjow grimaced, shaking his head.

"Kinda sorta." He lifted his hand, making a teetering gesture. "I can puzzle it out if I work really hard. It's something to keep my mind busy with. And I can't read Lazare at all." He admitted. They used a different alphabet, now, so learning the language would not be an easy feat. He could do it, of course, he could speak the tongue fluently. But it would take a while. Ichigo was still looking stunned as he nodded. "What, you're that shocked I can read?" Grimmjow couldn't resist needling his mate and smiled as he blushed.

"No! It's just, no one except scholars know the old tongue anymore. I don't know any of it, and you're a land guard. Why would you know the old tongue?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow blinked, surprised. That was strange.

"It's a required subject at the academy. Part of what we do is keep track of the old ruins, and try to figure out what's on them. There's stories about some of the ruins actually being seals on some nasty shit." Grimmjow was vague on that, but he suspected it was true. Hueco Mundo was a bad, bad place. "So the scholar types are always trying to figure shit out, and who better to scout for them than the land guards? But it helps if we can tell if something is important or just someone's rant about the ruler of the day." Grimmjow had actually found one of those, and it had been amusing as hell. The pictogram he'd finally translated as a goat's asshole had been quite an interesting little squiggle. Ichigo snorted, trying not to laugh.

"That explains it. We don't have any ruins here, at all. Everything is farmed and all the ruins we did have, have been moved to the museums in Ryoko." Ichigo said and Grimmjow perked up as he remembered that city. He hadn't been in the best shape to appreciate it, but he'd still enjoyed seeing it. It had been big and amazingly clean, with white stone boulevards and people walking along them like it was actually safe. The only cities Inuziri had were in Los Noches, and they were nothing like it. They were dirty as fuck, full of hungry people and dangerous as hell. The food shipments could never keep up and the King's 'justice' was brutal. People still lived there, though, since 'hungry' wasn't the same as starving. There was usually just enough food to keep life in body for the next day.

"Y'know, I'd really like to see that museum." Grimmjow's eyes caught fire at the thought. Following a puzzle was like a hunt. It inflamed the primal part of him that just wanted to _know._ His curiosity was his Achilles heel and his greatest asset, and it always had been.

"We can go there soon." Ichigo assured him with a smile. "Once the first harvest of the year is in, I'll have to do the first blessings, but then we'll have plenty of time to go to Ryoko." Grimmjow grinned at the thought. He'd seen a lot of the hospital last time, but hospitals were always pretty much the same. He wanted to see a hell of a lot more of the city than that.

Hmm. Blessings?

"So, these blessings of yours. How do they work?" Grimmjow asked casually. He was not above gently pumping Ichigo in his quest to figure out what exactly the angel was here. Ichigo blushed lightly and nodded.

"Yes. A land warden has to use their powers on the land all the time. I wish someone could take over for me, but they can't so it's very hard to get away." Ichigo sounded sad and Grimmjow made note of the term. Land warden. That was interesting. Inuziri had land wardens, but those were fixed defenses. Clearly this was something very different.

"That week you were with me in the Inuziri must have really pissed the Creator off, hey?" Grimmjow said lightly and grinned as Ichigo grimaced. "I think he's a total pansy fucker." He said just to annoy the ultimate power of the Lazare. Ichigo winced, gripping his forehead for a moment.

"Oh yeah? Well, I think the Destroyer is a complete lunatic with an uncontrolled lust for blood." Ichigo snapped back, clearly a bit offended for his patron. Or just dealing with the fact that the Creator had yelled at him, Grimmjow wasn't sure which.

_Why, thank you._ A very familiar, dark voice purred and Grimmjow laughed, leaning against the wall for a moment. He'd known the Destroyer was in his head when he'd said that, and it had definitely amused him.

"He says thanks for the compliment." Grimmjow said, enjoying the expression on Ichigo's face. "So what else are we doing today?" It was only a bit after noon, and Grimmjow still had a load of energy to burn off. "More weed picking?" There weren't really that many weeds in the garden, from what Grimmjow understood. Ichigo's power kept them away. The Lazare shook his head.

"Actually, I've arranged a private recital from some of our musicians." Ichigo said shyly and Grimmjow blinked. Music? "Do you have music in the Inuziri?" He asked and Grimmjow played with a bit of his long hair, trying to figure out how to answer.

"Well, yes and no." He prevaricated. "We have travelling minstrels. They're usually just singers and they're always thieves." Grimmjow smiled to himself as he remembered a really pretty girl who'd stolen his purse, once. Fortunately all he'd had in it was a few moth eggs. He actually kept his money under his bone plates, when he had any, which wasn't often. Just as well, it chafed. "If you mean actual instruments, only in the King's court. No one else can make a living at it." No one was going to feed a minstrel when they could hardly feed themselves. Ichigo nodded solemnly. "Of course, everyone can sing and tap a beat out on a rock. Plenty of folk songs. I could sing you some, someday." Grimmjow offered, not sure why he was doing it. He had a great singing voice but that was one talent he wasn't really proud of. Then he realized why. He wanted to make Ichigo happy, and hearing him sing would probably do that.

_You have the worst case of mating sickness I've ever seen._ The Destroyer commented and Grimmjow just barely managed not to blush. _And I've seen some doozies. I'm surprised you aren't fucking him every five minutes._

"Shut up." Grimmjow muttered. Mating sickness was a fact of life, in the Inuziri. It was absolutely critical that a sire remain with a dam long enough for her to lay her egg. Some people managed to harden their hearts into ignoring it, but he'd never been able to do that. But it was caused by the hormones and pheromones excreted by the female or submissive male of the pair, when they were with egg. There was no way in hell Ichigo was with egg so technically, this was not mating sickness. Grimmjow was glad of that, actually. Mating sickness came and went, but he didn't want this feeling to end.

"That would be wonderful! But the recital is going to start soon." Ichigo said happily, taking his hand and leading him through the manor. He called it a house, but Grimmjow thought it was too big for that. A lot too big, back in the Desolador Pinar it would have been big enough for a small village.

Grimmjow wasn't surprised when they stepped into a special room with nice seats and a raised dais. He'd seen this room before, of course, when he was exploring the place. He hadn't been able to figure it out at the time. The dais reminded him of the throne room in Los Noches, but a lot smaller and less ornamented. It also vaguely reminded him of an execution platform, but he knew that wasn't it. Those were always open air. So he'd been at a loss. Music, though, that made sense.

They weren't the only ones there, but Grimmjow got plenty of room around him, which suited him fine. He hadn't been lying to Ichigo when he said he didn't need friends. He was used to endless solitude, and he often found the Lazare in the manor annoying. They were not the sharpest knives in the drawer, certainly not on his level, and they just didn't have much interesting to say. Not like Ichigo.

He was willing to grant, though, that they did have talents of their own. Grimmjow couldn't tell good music from bad, but he knew he liked the sounds the musicians on the stage were making. They had instruments, things he hadn't seen since the brief appearance he'd made in the court of Los Noches. And he hadn't gotten to hear the instruments then. No, he'd mouthed off to the King and gotten his ass beat by the guards. It had been totally worth it.

Grimmjow grinned at the memory and blinked as the flute player faltered. She was staring at him wide eyed and he leaned back, letting his grin go from feral to amused. She seemed to feel the change and her playing picked back up. He closed his eyes for a moment, just savoring the sound. Pretty soon, the quartet was done and a new group took the stage. A guy with a guitar and a singer, they quickly started a song that was vaguely familiar to Grimmjow. He finally realized the basic melody was identical to a folk song he knew. Was that cross contamination or coincidence? There were only so many good melodies in the world.

Grimmjow enjoyed the whole performance, smiling as it finally came to an end. He started a bit as the people around him began to clap, and then grinned to himself. Clapping wasn't his thing. The proper gesture of appreciation… He raised his fingers to his lips and managed a credible wolf whistle. The musicians stared at him and the clapping faltered for a moment before Ichigo laughed. The warm sound seemed to reassure everyone and Grimmjow glanced at him, smiling as he met warm brown eyes.

"You're awesome, Grimmjow." He said warmly and Grimmjow shivered at the almost lust in his voice.

"Yeah, I know, but you shouldn't be telling me that too often. My head will swell worse than it already has." He said easily and Ichigo laughed again.

"We're having goat stew for supper." The land warden commented as they stood. Everyone was filtering out of the stage area, and Ichigo was letting them go first. "You'll finally have your revenge." Grimmjow laughed at the thought.

"Hot damn! I've been waiting for this." He growled, getting some nervous looks from the departing Lazare. "Is it the one that tried to eat my hair?" He was staying away from the goats now. They really loved his hair in the worst possible way.

"No idea, but there's a chance it could be." Ichigo replied and Grimmjow was willing to go with it. A chance at revenge was better than nothing.

He didn't need to eat, so for a land guard, having food was an unexpected pleasure. Grimmjow savored the texture of the meat, the deep flavor of the vegetables and the bite of the spices. It was all a damn sight finer than anything you could get in Inuzuri. Even in the King's court, all the food was roasted meat, and pretty damned tough meat at that. No one complained, but Grimmjow wondered if it was even possible to make stuff like this in Inuziri. The vegetables were out, but did they have spices? Cooking was not something he'd ever been curious about before, so he didn't even know.

"Oh, Grimmjow, I got you something." Grimmjow looked up as Ichigo smiled and slid a book over to him. "It's in the old tongue, but the scholars say it's of no use to them." Grimmjow flipped through the book for a moment and a few of the pictograms caught his eye. He knew those pictograms.

"Not unless they want to wank off." He said before shutting the book and caught Ichigo's look of confusion. "Nevermind. Hey, I was wondering if you could get someone to teach me to read Lazare. You don't have the time." He added as Ichigo opened his mouth. The land warden closed it for a moment, thinking.

"That hurts, but you're right. I don't dare neglect my duties." He said with a small sigh and Grimmjow nodded sympathetically. He understood duties. "I'll see about hiring a special tutor. Maybe I can find someone who isn't scared of you." He added and Grimmjow grinned. "Try not to be too overbearing."

"Me? Perish the thought. I will be a complete gentleman." He pressed a clawed hand over his heart and laughed at Ichigo's look of disbelief. "Well, a decent approximation, how's that?"

"I suppose it will do." Ichigo said with warmth in his eyes and a smile on his lips. Grimmjow basked in the look, feeling warmed to the core. His mate was happy and that made him feel great. Their talk turned to the ruins then, and Ichigo gave him some input on a few things that had been puzzling him. Grimmjow wasn't sure the land warden's theories were any better than his own, but they were interesting. It was a real shame he hadn't had Ichigo beside him when he'd looked at those old stones. He was going by memories, now. He'd made a few charcoal imprints at the time but they were long gone, surrendered to the scholars as soon as he'd left Hueco Mundo.

They didn't make love that night. Grimmjow wasn't sure why, but didn't care. Sometimes it just happened that way, and a mated pair didn't have to do it every night. It was actually an expression of trust, when you got right down to it. If you trusted that the other person would be there tomorrow, you didn't have to grasp everything tonight. So instead, they cuddled. Grimmjow smiled as Ichigo tucked his head under his chin. The land warden was no shorter than him, but he was lower in the bed and content there. Grimmjow slid an arm around his mate, enjoying the feel of soft skin and tiny golden pin feathers before the soft, slow breathing across from him lulled him to sleep.


	4. The Truth

Grimmjow licked his lip as he worked on his translation.

Just reading the book took time and work, but doing an actual translation required a bit of charcoal and some paper. He was only doing it because he wanted to read something to Ichigo. Reading directly from the book would have been hard as hell, as he had to translate the words first to Inuziri, then to Lazare for Ichigo. Grimmjow was good with languages, but he wasn't that good. He could only thing of one person offhand who might have been able to do that and still read smoothly, but that guy was back at the King's court. Genius like that did not go wandering.

So he was doing the obvious thing and putting the words on paper in Inuziri. He'd just have to translate from Inuziri to Lazare, and that he could do in his sleep. He hissed in satisfaction as he finally came to the end and gazed at his hard work before glancing out the window. He could see the stars.

"Mm, Grimmjow? Are you going to come to bed?" Ichigo sounded sleepy and Grimmjow grinned, picking up the paper and going to sit down beside him. He had plans for the Lazare, and they included sleeping… eventually. For now, though…

"I've been translating from that book you gave me. Want to hear a passage?" That was a trick question but Ichigo didn't catch it at all, just nodding with a smile. "Okay, here goes. _I came upon you in the twisted heather, and my heart sang out to yours."_ Grimmjow lowered his voice to an erotic purr as Ichigo's eyes went wide. _"Your white limbs gleaming in the moonlight, your hair of raven black. I adored every inch of you, the beauty of your body and the fair bird nestled between your thighs."_ Ichigo swallowed, heavily, as Grimmjow gave him a smoldering glance. _"Let me have you. Let me claim you. Let me show you the pleasure I can give you, oh my beautiful one."_

"Y-You're kidding! That wasn't in the book. You just made that up!" Ichigo stuttered and Grimmjow laughed, dropping the page and sliding over the bed until he was straddling the Lazare. There was more to the work, much more, but his pretty little angel was already aroused. He could save the rest for some other time.

"Not a bit. You gave me a book of erotic poetry." Ichigo looked ready to die of mortification before Grimmjow kissed him, sliding a hand over his chest. "Now, show me your fair bird." He said, grinning to himself at the archaic terms. Ichigo swallowed again, and pushed the blankets away, revealing his body fully to his Inuziri lover. "Now, touch yourself." For a moment Grimmjow thought Ichigo might refuse. It was such a dirty, yet sexy request. The angel's brown eyes were wide and almost blind as he slowly licked his fingers. Grimmjow's breath went still for a moment as he watched those long, beautiful fingers being slowly coated with saliva, then travelling down to find Ichigo's hardness.

Grimmjow swallowed, hard, as Ichigo's breathing speeded up. The expression on the Lazare's face was completely absorbed, now, and tiny beads of sweat were forming on his tanned skin. Grimmjow wanted to lap them up, but held back. This was too hot for words, and he didn't want to make Ichigo stop. Ichigo reached up with his other hand, slowly running a finger over a sculpted pectoral, finding his pert little nipple and gently teasing the nub of flesh. Grimmjow almost groaned, realizing that he was painfully hard. Ichigo was teasing him so badly with this little show.

"Grimmjow." Ichigo whispered, his eyes closed as he pleasured himself. That was too much and the angel's eyes snapped open as Grimmjow grasped his wrist.

"Want me to join you?" He said huskily, wanting that more than anything. Ichigo smiled, laying down on the bed.

"Please." There was such desire, such need in the Lazare's voice. Grimmjow considered how to do it, and smiled. There was something he hadn't done with Ichigo yet, he'd been saving it for a special moment. This was pretty special. Ichigo was clearly expecting his Inuziri lover to take him, and was puzzled as Grimmjow raised himself up his body. Then his eyes widened as the white warrior gripped his aching member, positioning it at his entrance.

"Hngh!" Grimmjow grunted softly as he drove himself down on that hard, wonderful piece of flesh. It hurt some, but that was how he liked it. Sex should hurt a little, the pain let you know you were alive. "Shit." He breathed the word out. It wasn't something he was going to admit to anyone, not even Ichigo, but he was an anal virgin. Until now, that is.

"Grimmjow!" The Inuziri man moaned as Ichigo's wet hand found his length and the angel moved inside him, filling his body with pleasure and his mind with sparks of delight. "Oh my god, that's so good." Ichigo moaned, enjoying every moment of this, the hot muscles clenching around him and teasing him, encouraging him to thrust up into that moist heat. "Ah!" Grimmjow gasped as Ichigo suddenly flipped him on his back, changing their positions around. The Lazare seemed to be lost in primitive instincts as he pushed Grimmjow's legs out further, deepening the penetration. Grimmjow let out a moan of desire and pain, the sensations mingling in his mind and turning into a beautiful whole.

"Yesss." He hissed out the word, feeling it as Ichigo nailed his prostate. The feeling almost brought tears to his eyes, from the sheer pleasure of it. "Yes!" He dug his claws into Ichigo's shoulders, but retained enough control to only raise thin red marks. He could shred his lover, if he wasn't careful. Ichigo's fingers dug into the bones on his hips and despite the protection, Grimmjow knew he would have bruises. Neither of them cared, lost in the pleasure that the pain only enhanced. "Harder!" Grimmjow panted and Ichigo obliged, taking him with deep, hard strokes that practically screamed of power. "Shit!" Grimmjow cursed as Ichigo hit him in the prostate again, bringing his climax close, too close. Then the angel did something amazing with his hand and it was all too much. Grimmjow keened his pleasure as the touch brought him to climax, spilling his seed between the two of them. His muscles tightened as he came and Grimmjow saw Ichigo's expression at the feel of those velvety walls clenching down. The angel arched in absolute pleasure, releasing into him with a sound somewhere between a moan and a scream.

Grimmjow lay panting, utterly boneless beneath his Lazare lover. Ichigo nuzzled his throat, gently kissing the soft, sweet skin. Grimmjow groaned softly as he pulled away, at the strange feeling of emptiness after being so full. But then Ichigo lay down beside him and he cuddled up, smiling as his mate ran his fingers through long, tousled blue hair. He sometimes wished Ichigo had longer hair, something he could play with, but it was pretty the way it was. So he lifted his hand and tousled that orange hair, making Ichigo laugh softly and nuzzle him again.

"Is there more to that poem?" Ichigo murmured and Grimmjow replied with a sleepy affirmative. It was already getting hard to stay awake. "You'll have to tell me the rest sometime."

"My pleasure." He said softly before closing his eyes. He was just too tired, and sleep was pulling at him like a demanding lover.

Grimmjow gave himself over to it, feeling completely content.

* * *

Ichigo watched his sleeping lover for a moment, a soft smile on his lips. Then he sighed.

He understood, more and more, what the Creator had said to him. His heart was so deeply bonded to Grimmjow, he could never pull it away. When he concentrated, he could feel the beat of Grimmjow's heart, the warmth in his body and the love the other man held for him. And yet…

He could not reach Grimmjow's soul. He tried and tried, hopelessly and helplessly, but he could not break through. He'd actually managed to touch it, the questing tendrils of his soul finding what the Inuziri man held. But it was as cold and hard as the Creator had said. The armoring on Grimmjow's soul reminded Ichigo of the bone plates on his body, but it was not so easily removed. Ichigo wondered if it could be removed at all.

Tears filled his eyes for a moment before Ichigo sniffed and dashed them away. He loved Grimmjow, loved him with all his heart, but his soul yearned for completion. He'd found that bond with other Lazare, several times, but it had always felt empty and cold without his heart. Now he'd found his heart, but could not bind his soul. It seemed like a cruel joke.

_You poor thing. You want it all, don't you? But you can't have it all. None of us can._ Ichigo froze at the sound of that deep, purring voice in his mind. It was NOT the Creator. Yet, it felt strangely similar, in terms of power at least.

"The Destroyer?" He whispered and shivered at the laughter that answered him. "How… how can you speak to me?" The other power shouldn't be able to do this. Ichigo belonged to the Creator.

_We have a wager, and I think you should know the truth of your dilemma. HE won't tell you of the damage that was done by the sundering. After all, HIS land is perfect, while mine is a blood soaked disaster. Everything HE does is beautiful and wonderful, pure and light._ Ichigo blinked at the honeyed venom in those words. He'd never heard anything like it from the Creator, and he was beginning to see why Grimmjow could say the Destroyer was his best friend. He already seemed to have more personality than the Creator, even if it wasn't a nice personality. _Hah. But he knows this as well as I do, even if he won't admit it. So, you want to know why you're doomed to hurt? I will tell you. In the sundering, you angels lost the ability to form a heart bond._ Ichigo blinked and was about to object, since he'd formed a heart bond with Grimmjow, but the Destroyer continued. _You could still form soul bonds, and they are some comfort, but they are a cold and sterile thing without the heart bond. _Ichigo's breath stuck in his throat as he remembered how he'd felt with other Lazare. Cold and sterile was a perfect description. _A heart bond without a soul bond is quite different. Hearts can become hard, and turn away, without the permanence of the soul. That is how so many sires can leave the dams, in the Inuziri. There is no soul behind the joining and the love fades away._ Ichigo stared into Grimmjow's face, suddenly worried. Could something like that happen to them? _Oh, it could. But you picked well when you chose my little warrior. He has a big and deep heart, stronger than most and very… dedicated. I think it will take a very long time before your love fades._

"I don't want it to fade. I want it to be forever." Ichigo whispered, feeling a twist of pain in his heart and soul. Then he winced at the angry, frustrated yet not uncaring laugh in his mind.

_Yes, you want everything, you poor little angel. I have no idea how you can ever have what you want. You are both doomed. But enjoy the time you have. In the Inuziri, you must always enjoy each day, for it might be your last._ With that bit of wisdom, Ichigo felt the presence in his mind depart. And the land warden rested his face in his hands and wept. Grimmjow slept, completely oblivious to the pain of his mate.

This was not a pain that Ichigo wanted to share.

* * *

"Damn, this city is pretty." Grimmjow said appreciatively as Ichigo smiled beside him. He glanced at the Lazare, wondering at the shadow in his eyes. He'd already asked Ichigo what was wrong, but the angel refused to tell him, just that there was nothing that could be done. Grimmjow hadn't wanted to let it go, but he finally had when Ichigo had started showing real distress. He didn't want to distress his mate.

But now they were in Ryoko, and Grimmjow was finally seeing the city as a tourist rather than a dying man. It was huge, and as white as he'd remembered, but there were also dozens of shops. The streets were crowded with Lazare, so many that they often didn't notice him until they got quite close indeed. But then they shied off, giving Grimmjow the personal equivalent of a repulsion field. It was actually pretty awesome, since he and Ichigo never got crowded or bumped.

Right now they were on a bridge, looking down at the water beneath. Grimmjow had seen rivers in the pine forest, but most of them had been raging torrents, pouring down from the mountains and frothing with vicious rapids. This was just blue water, flowing slowly over white stones that reminded him of the buildings.

"What were the cities like in Inuziri?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow sighed. He didn't really want to think of them, not right now.

"Ugly." He said briefly. "Inuziri isn't a place for cities, it's meant to be wild and untamed. But the King's seat has a city around it, supported by his activities. It's an ugly, ugly place, dirty and full of sickness. But people still live there because you have to eat, y'know? And it might be dangerous but the wilds can be worse. Ah, I fucking hated it there, felt like I was being stifled." He felt a bit of that stifling here, as well, but it wasn't as bad. Mainly because the city was so big and full of plenty of greenery. It was all fruit trees and edible plants, but at least they hinted at something wild. Nothing grew in the city of Los Noches. "I always have to go back though, about every ten years or so, to drop off my shit." He said with a sigh as Ichigo tilted his head. "My notes, my tracings, the stuff the scholars like. The bastards are really fond of me, they say I'm one of their most reliable scouts."

"I can see that. I bet a lot of the other land guards can't read the old tongue the way you can." Ichigo said and Grimmjow nodded ruefully. He was dead right about that. At least half the class had been too dumb or resentful to master more than the basics. Grimmjow had been one of the small and nutty group who liked it. "The museum isn't too far, though. Would you like to see it?"

"Is the water wet?" Grimmjow countered and Ichigo laughed. They walked to the museum slowly, Grimmjow taking the time to look at everything. His nose twitched as he smelled something fascinating. "What's that?" It was making his mouth water. Ichigo looked around and pointed to a little shop.

"It's a taiyaki store. Would you like one?" Grimmjow hesitated but nodded and went in with Ichigo. He let the land warden order for him as the girl behind the counter stared at him in alarm. Soon, they both had fish shaped waffle things. Grimmjow bit into his and blinked at the sweet taste of the curd inside.

"This is different." He said, nibbling a bit more tentatively. He wasn't sure he liked it, but it was different. After a few more nibbles, though, he decided it was good. "Actually, it's good. The pasty stuff inside just takes some getting used to. What is that?" Grimmjow had learned a lot of vegetables and fruits on his time at the farm, but this was a new one on him.

"Bean paste. We don't grow beans at the farm, so you won't have seen them." Ichigo supplied helpfully and Grimmjow nodded. "They grow better in the west part of Lazare, along with the wheat."

"You don't say." He mused, wondering why there was a difference. It was probably similar to the differences between areas of the Inuziri, but less extreme. There was so much difference between Hueco Mundo and Hielo Arena, it wasn't even funny.

They had finished eating their taiyaki when they reached the museum, which was good because it didn't allow any food or drink inside. Grimmjow could totally understand that, he'd seen his language instructor have a complete fit when someone spilled a drink over a script, and it had just been a copy. An original, well, that would be worth a murder.

"Nice." Grimmjow looked at the antique art appreciatively. He'd seen statues like these in Los Noches, but only once during a tour. The whole class had been taken to the scriptorium and, with deathly threats about what would happen if they broke anything, shown the collection. That place was not open to the public. The King knew his subjects pretty well and knew it they could, they'd steal something.

The Lazare were a lot more trusting, although Grimmjow didn't think any really important artifacts were on display. No, it was all generic stuff, things about the life and times of the people pre-sundering. He paused at one statue, ogling the bare breasts shamelessly before Ichigo slapped him upside the head.

"What? I'm just appreciating art." He said with a shit-eating grin as Ichigo glowered at him. Then the Lazare sighed and laughed, shaking his head.

"You're just trying to wind me up. Stop being a twit." He said fondly and Grimmjow grinned, slipping behind him and nuzzling his ear. "Hey! I said stop!"

"This isn't being a twit, it's bein' horny. But okay." Now probably wasn't a good time anyway, so Grimmjow pulled away from his lovely angel. There was a lot of the museum left to cover, and his curiosity would nag at him if he left any of it undone.

Further back in the museum were the stone tablets. Grimmjow's hands itched as he looked at them. How many tablets like that had he handled, over the years? Taking his etchings then leaving them where he'd found them, for the scholars to collect and catalogue. Hundreds, thousands? He had no idea. Smiling, he started to read the translations some thoughtful soul had placed on the wall beside the tablets. As he'd expected, it was generic stuff. They had a nice rant from someone about the ruler of the time, though, and Grimmjow sniggered as he realized it had been edited heavily. Looking at the pictograms, he could see some really interesting squiggles.

"What is it? What's funny?" Ichigo asked, clueless, and Grimmjow did his best to give an impromptu translation of the piece on display. It was damned hard and he had to pause a lot to get the thoughts from old tongue to Inuziri, then to Lazare, but it was worth it when Ichigo started to giggle. "Grimmjow! Are you serious? Duck's bottom?"

"Yeah, and I don't know exactly what that squiggle down at the bottom is but I think it's something _really_ rude." Grimmjow tapped the glass, grinning. He actually had a word for it but he wasn't going to say it out loud. It was pretty damn bad. "I'm surprised they'd put this on display." But the Lazare were probably counting on the fact that most people couldn't read it.

The next thing he saw, though, surprised the hell out of him. It was another tablet, but this one with a note that it was currently untranslatable. Grimmjow glanced it over, frowning.

"Huh." He muttered to himself before looking at Ichigo. "Are there more of these untranslatable ones?" He had a feeling… the land warden nodded.

"Yes, most of them are right back here." There was a whole wall dedicated to the things, and Grimmjow licked his teeth as he looked at them. It was just as he'd thought. For a moment, he considered keeping it a secret and giving Ichigo a surprise. But then he realized that was stupid. He couldn't hide what he was doing, not if he wanted to do it at all.

"Yeah, I can translate this shit." He said firmly and looked up to see Ichigo staring at him, wide-eyed. "This is basically a dialect of the old tongue. It's pretty damn common in the tablets from Inuziri, so it's probably got something to do with us. Do you think you could talk to the curators, see if they'll let me work on these?" His hands itched to touch them, pull them out and begin working on them. The tablets were the oldest puzzle available in Hueco Mundo and he'd always looked forward to finding them.

"Wow Grimmjow, really?" Ichigo sounded amazed. "That's incredible!" Grimmjow almost blushed.

"Not really. Any scholar in the Inuziri could do it. But we don't talk much, right?" He said, then grinned. "And it's damned hard to travel between worlds, so that ain't no surprise. But since I'm here, you Lazare might as well get some use out of me." He'd be happy to do this. It was definitely something useful and maybe, just maybe, there would be some really important tablets in the untranslatable pile.

You never knew what you might find in the sands.

* * *

_You again. What do you want? _The Destroyer sounded bored, but that was a pose. He was actually quietly worried that the Creator might have gotten wind of his conversation with Ichigo. That could be considered cheating, since without the knowledge he'd given him the Lazare might have tried to separate from Grimmjow to find someone he could bond to, heart and soul. It would have been a like searching for a phantom, but Ichigo wouldn't have known that. Fortunately, the Creator had something else entirely on his mind.

_I want to change our game._ The Creator said, cool and collected as always. But the Destroyer immediately knew something was wrong. _I want to change the duration to one year._

_What! _The Destroyer blurted, shocked. _But there is no way their love will fade in only a year. You're handing me the pieces!_ He didn't understand why the Creator would do such a thing. It made absolutely no sense. Then the Creator spoke again.

_I'm afraid I will win. Ichigo's heart is too big, and I think the realization that he cannot have what he wants would kill him. In your hands, he might have a better chance. I do care for my people, whatever you think. _The Creator sounded nearly petulant and the Destroyer reeled in confusion for a moment. But then he gathered himself and thought.

_You… no, you're lying. _The Destroyer said with absolute certainty. _There's something in this for you. Don't try to lie to me. Why are you throwing the game?_

_Because your land guard is a danger!_ The Creator nearly shouted, making the Destroyer recoil in surprise. _And not just to me, but to you as well!_

_Hngh? _The Destroyer made an inarticulate gargle. _How can a land guard, even a very powerful land guard, be any kind of threat? _While he had hundreds of land guards, the power of them could vary. Grimmjow was close to the top of his class. But he was still only a land guard, and Ichigo was only a land warden. Powerful pieces, to be sure, but a danger?

_You'll find out soon._ The Creator vanished in a huff and the Destroyer was left alone, dazed and confused. But then he turned his full attention back to Grimmjow.

He wanted to know how his little land guard could have graduated from a nuisance to a threat.


	5. Sealed Away

Author's Note: Soon, things will go to the Inuziri and we'll be back to Ichigo's perspective, but for this I think Grimmjow works better. Enjoy!

"Wow, this place is awesome." Grimmjow glanced around the room approvingly as Ichigo smiled. "I haven't seen anything this fine since the palace." In fact, he wasn't sure he'd seen anything this fine even in the palace. As much as the King might try, it was difficult to polish a turd and the Inuziri was definitely a turd.

This place, though, was just amazing. It was a restaurant, which was a bit of a shock to Grimmjow to start with. The only 'restaurants' he'd seen were basically bars. Sure, they might serve food, but it was the drink they were peddling. A few of them had good food, though. Grimmjow remembered one place in the Desolador Pinar that had been famous for its smoked salmon. A nice place, that one.

It didn't hold a candle to this place, though. Everything was black, black leather booths, black walls that glittered with little crystals, black ceilings with ornate crystal candelabra holding thousands of candles. Their table was black marble, with a matching vase that held a single orchid. Grimmjow knew orchids, although the ones he was familiar with had a contact poison in the petals. He was pretty sure this one didn't. It wasn't good business to poison the patrons, even in the Inuziri. Well, except when the whole place was a fake maybe…

Shaking away that disturbing and, in the Inuziri, quite possible scenario, Grimmjow turned his attention to the menu. He needed to figure out what he wanted before the waitress came by. He grinned as he saw one of the appetizers was smoked whitefish on bagel chips. He wasn't sure what a bagel was, but he loved smoked fish. He wished it was salmon, but he was pretty sure they didn't have salmon in the Lazare. They required free running, wild streams, the kind of thing you found on the edge of the great forests, flowing from the mountains and into the sea. For the main course, he quickly picked out a selection of sushi and sashimi.

"It really is nice. I can't afford to go here too often, but I wanted to bring you." Ichigo smiled at him, touching his hand, and Grimmjow smiled back. The heat between them was so wonderful, it warmed him down to his toes. "How are the translations coming?"

"Not too well." Grimmjow admitted. It wasn't that the job was hard, it was that the curators at the museum wanted him to translate everything sequentially. "If I have to spend any more time on cookery recipes and shit, I'm going to scream." He grumbled. "Even if that recipe for ham and gammon did sound pretty good." Anything that called for a quart of cream as an ingredient struck him as a fine idea. Ichigo laughed and Grimmjow smiled, savoring the sound.

"How tragic! But it's not like there's any rush." He said with a smile and Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and that's a good thing the way we have to keep going back to the garden." He said with a scowl. Ichigo couldn't stay here, he had duties back home and he was NOT going to leave Grimmjow in the Ryoko alone. That would be a dumbass thing to do on a lot of levels. But the curators of the museum wouldn't let him take any tablets with him, and they wouldn't even let him take etchings. Grimmjow couldn't figure that out. Putting a paper on a tablet and rubbing it with charcoal never did any harm. But they only wanted him working where they could see him. So no matter what, the translations were going to go slowly. "Oh well. I guess we have time." Grimmjow twitched slightly as he picked up a strange ambivalence from the Destroyer at that. He could catch feelings from his boss, sometimes, and he was picking up a lot lately.

They chatted a bit as they sipped on the water, and Grimmjow found his gaze wandering to the people in the restaurant. He frowned to himself as he noticed something that had been bothering him for a while. As far as he could tell, he and Ichigo were the only couple in the place.

That was… weird. There were a lot of single folks, and quite a few people who looked like they might be friends or relatives. But the one couple he could see didn't act like they even liked each other much. It was damned strange, and he'd been noticing it all over the Ryoko, not just at this restaurant.

Grimmjow knew what any gathering in Inuziri was like. A small village, a big town, a city in Los Noches, it didn't matter. They were full of courting couples, wild with first love and rutting in every conceivable place. Pregnant couples, hopefully in the throes of love and mating sickness. Abandoned women and sometimes men, crying for the mates that had left them behind and begging anyone to take them on, help them with the egg. It seemed like everything in Inuziri came down to sex, when it didn't come down to death.

He'd expected the Lazare to be more restrained than the Inuziri. He hadn't expected it to be practically sexless. Grimmjow couldn't remember seeing any courting couples, on his walks. He hadn't noticed at first, hadn't been looking, but for the past two days he'd noticed the lack. He and Ichigo were the only ones kissing in the park, the only ones sneaking a quick and dangerous fuck against a back wall. Grimmjow felt like they were the only ones really living, sometimes.

And where were the hatchlings? He'd been asking himself that question, too. He knew that Lazare didn't lay eggs, they were live birthers, like the wild goats and reindeer. That worked for them, since they had plenty of food to keep body and soul together. But that meant the whole sequence of life was distorted, by Grimmjow's standards anyway. Instead of the vicious little beasts that broke out of an egg, they had sweet and cuddly little babies. So where were they? Were they just keeping them away from him? But he didn't even know where he was going half the time, when his curiosity got the best of him. So how could the Lazare know?

"Hey, Ichigo?" Grimmjow decided he had to ask. All this puzzling was fun, but sometimes it just got frustrating. This wasn't Hueco Mundo, and he didn't need to draw a puzzle out to keep from going mad with boredom. "I've been wondering. Where are all the kids, in this city?" Ichigo froze, his glass of water halfway to his lips. "And where are the, you know, randy couples?" He grinned as Ichigo blushed. It was so easy to embarrass the land warden. "You get this many Inuziri together, we'll be fucking like a pack of wild dogs."

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo laughed, but Grimmjow noticed a few nearby diners giving them outraged looks. He gave them grins and they found somewhere else to look. "We… don't really do much of that here." Ichigo said, quietly and Grimmjow blinked as he caught the edge of pain in the Lazare's expression. Then the appetizers came, and they were both silent until the waitress left. Grimmjow nibbled on his smoked fish and frowned. It wasn't bad, but salmon was better. "We don't have that many children. Sometimes… sometimes the Creator has to rebirth us directly, like he did for you, because the numbers are too far off and no one wants to reproduce."

"Wait, what?" Grimmjow tried to wrap his mind around that. It didn't fit very well, at all. "You mean people don't want to fuck? You're serious?" He couldn't understand that, at all. Sure, he hadn't screwed around too much, but that was because he took the whole egg laying thing seriously. But he'd had a few partners in the Desolador Pinar, he'd just been careful not to seed them. And in Hueco Mundo, he'd jacked off on plenty of rocks. Ichigo sighed, dropping his head for a moment before he took a bite of his salad.

"Grimmjow, we – we don't seem to love each other very much." Ichigo said, painfully. "We form soul bonds, but it never touches our hearts. And that hurts, it hurts so much." Grimmjow stared, wondering what a soul bond was. He'd never heard of such a thing. "Heart bonds are what make people want to mate and have children. Without them, it's just… duty, or something we do for continuance. It's hard." Ichigo sounded miserable, now, but Grimmjow had to find out more.

"What's a soul bond?" He asked, then ate his bagel chips. They weren't bad, although he wasn't a big fan. Ichigo winced but did his best to answer.

"A soul bond is when two souls bond together, forming a permanent underpinning for a heart bond." Grimmjow felt the Destroyer's approval of that description. Apparently, Ichigo had gotten it exactly right. "Without the heart bond, though, it's cold and empty. And without the soul bond, a heart bond is unstable." Ichigo swallowed, looking down. "The love can fade." Grimmjow frowned as he started to get it.

"We don't have a soul bond, do we?" He asked and Ichigo shook his head, still looking down. "How can we get one?" Ichigo looked up, eyes wide at that question.

"I can't think of a way. Grimmjow, your soul is covered in armor. I can't reach it." Grimmjow blinked as he realized Ichigo had been trying. Damn, his angel really did love him. "I suppose, if there were some way to pry away the armor… a soul healer might know."

_That is very dangerous._ The Destroyer warned him and Grimmjow frowned at the genuine concern in that harsh voice. _It could shatter your soul entirely, and you know what that would mean._

"Ouch." Grimmjow muttered. He did know what that would mean. It would mean an end to his cycle of rebirth, and Grimmjow was a young soul. Souls aged and decayed naturally, eventually ending their cycle and returning to the Creator or Destroyer. "I'll have to think about it. The Destroyer says it could shatter me." Ichigo paled at that information and shook his head.

"Then you can't do it." Grimmjow smiled, finishing his fish as Ichigo worked on his salad. His protectiveness was sweet, but in the end it was Grimmjow's decision. He wasn't going to make an issue of it, though, not yet. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk literally hundreds of rebirths on a single roll of the dice. Death, he wasn't really afraid of, but soul shattering? Oh yes, that was frightening. He'd have to think about it, and think very hard.

The main course came, and Ichigo deliberately lightened the mood, turning the conversation to something else.

"Have you ever been to the ballet?" Grimmjow just gave him an 'are-you-kidding' look and Ichigo grinned. "I know, you haven't. Would you like to?"

"I saw some pictures. The girls in that have some nice legs. Sure, why not?" He said agreeably and grinned as Ichigo looked pained. "Don't worry, the only legs I really want are yours." He said, letting hot desire curl in his voice as he picked up a piece of sushi. The booth was nice and intimate, so it was easy for him to offer it to Ichigo. The land warden's eyes were full of heat as he delicately nipped the morsel of food out of his fingers.

"Great minds think alike." His angel breathed and Grimmjow blinked in confusion until he picked up a tiny egg roll from his own plate. Grimmjow laughed as he realized they'd both gotten foods that were perfect for feeding to each other. "Want some vinegar on it?"

"Oh yeah." Grimmjow loved the taste of sour. When Ichigo offered him the piece of food he didn't just take it out of Ichigo's fingers, he deliberately caught them in his mouth, giving them an intimate touch of his tongue. He could hear Ichigo's hissing, indrawn breath. Blue eyes met brown and Grimmjow was sure Ichigo could see the fierce desire in his eyes. He could definitely see the primitive heat in Ichigo's. Their lips met and –

"Ahem." They both shied away from each other and looked into the face of a woman who rather alarmingly reminded Grimmjow of one of his old teachers. The one who'd had him strapped to the punishment chair and given electric shocks for a solid half hour, one time. "You are disturbing the other patrons."

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Ichigo said, flushing light. She nodded but shot Grimmjow a look of distaste. He just looked back at her insolently, and the distaste deepened. One she was gone Grimmjow shook his head.

"Disturbing the other patrons? Shit, in the Inuziri we could have sex on the table and they'd just be betting on how long we could keep it up." Ichigo was taking a sip of his water and choked. Grimmjow was pleased but alarmed to see it nearly coming out his nose. "Hey, I'm not kidding." He really wasn't. His bet had been on seventeen minutes, that time. It had only gone on for eight, worthless bastards. Ichigo was trying desperately to choke back laughter, now, and not having much success.

"You bastard, that's hilarious." He wheezed, glancing around. "But keep your voice down, we have tender sensibilities here." Grimmjow grinned at Ichigo's tone, which was more than a bit exasperated. He was pretty tired of the other angels, too.

"I'll be good." He pledged, and ate more of his food. It was all good, although he still wished there was salmon. And tuna would have been good, too. All the fish was freshwater, come to think of it. Did the Lazare not have any seas? Oh, of course it didn't. Seas were a wild place, always had been and always would be.

You couldn't hope to tame the sea.

* * *

"Faster Ichigo, faster!" Grimmjow urged the land warden. They were fighting in a dojo they'd rented, and the owner of the place and several of his students were busy watching their sparring. Grimmjow couldn't blame them. It was getting good.

Ichigo had fine instincts and a good trainer, and by now Grimmjow was going nearly full out. They were using live blades, but in special cases to keep from having any serious wounds. The weight and feel, though, were nearly right. The padded armor was helping and Grimmjow winced as Ichigo landed a pretty fine hit on his side. If this had been a real fight, he'd have been bleeding pretty badly from that.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he decided it was time. He went all out at Ichigo, trying to pin him to the wall and 'kill' him. To his shock and surprise, the angel suddenly unleashed a golden flare from his sword. He answered it with a blue flare but his power was a bit late, and the golden fire slammed him into the wall, cracking the plaster. Grimmjow grunted as his body registered numerous new bruises and some serious strains. He was going to be in some serious pain the next day.

"That's cheating." He managed to wheeze out as he slipped down to the floor. Ichigo was frozen for a moment, then ran to his side, dropping his sword as he put an arm around the fallen warrior's shoulders.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, it was a reflex when you got so close." Ichigo said worriedly, gently applying healing to his wounds. Grimmjow laughed, just staying still for a moment. Forcing himself to move after that kind of strain was the worst thing to do. He'd seen one idiot manage to turn a strain into a torn muscle that way. It was different in a battle, of course, but this was just practice.

"Nah, nah, I was just kidding. If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying, right?" He grinned at Ichigo, who looked relieved to see he wasn't seriously hurt. "Give me a moment and we can go at it again. Do you realize how much better you've gotten?" It was frightening really. Ichigo was a prodigy, the kind of student every teacher liked to see… when they were well behaved. Grimmjow had been a prodigy too and a complete pain in the ass. His teachers would have traded him for Ichigo in a heartbeat.

"I know I can spar you a lot longer before I get tired, and I'm much faster." Ichigo admitted, stroking his back with a gentle hand. Grimmjow relaxed into that touch, sighing softly. It felt so good. "Is it unusual?"

"Yeah. You're fucking good. You should ask for a career change." Grimmjow said, before hoisting himself to his feet. Ichigo shook his head with a faint smile as he stood, but the blue haired man could see a shadow in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just thinking that I might enjoy being a land ward, but no one would ever let me." He sounded sad and resigned. Grimmjow hesitated, scratching his hair for a moment.

"Maybe you should try whining a lot. It always worked for me." He offered and Ichigo looked at him in astonishment before bursting into laughter. "You ready?"

"Definitely." Ichigo took his fighting stance and they circled for a moment before the angel lost patience and tried to rush him. That was a mistake, and Grimmjow managed to trip him up with some really deceptive footwork. "Ow! That's cheating!" Ichigo said as he pulled himself up, and Grimmjow laughed.

"Whatever wins." And they went at it again, this time with Ichigo a bit warier of is opponents' feet. Grimmjow grinned and decided to grab some of the weapons off the wall and throw them at him. They were all in sheaths, so it wouldn't hurt, but Ichigo would start getting a feel for how a clever opponent could use the environment.

Ichigo's speed and stamina might be up to par, and his raw power was great, but there were always things to learn.

* * *

"Ooof." Ichigo sighed as he settled into the tub. "Grimmjow sure was inspired today." He muttered to himself as he began to wash off his skin. He was covered in bruises, and some of them were pretty spectacular. He didn't mind, though.

The truth was, he was enjoying himself. As the land guard pushed him harder and harder, Ichigo had the satisfaction of knowing he was getting better and better. A sword felt natural in his hands, and the thought of a life and death struggle both frightened and thrilled him. He'd never see one, but he couldn't help but long for it.

_That's what you think._ Ichigo blinked, shocked by the nearly spiteful tone of the Creator's voice. For the first time ever, he felt concern for his ultimate authority.

"Are you alright?" He asked, feeling a bit stupid. But the Creator was usually so emotionless. There was a snort in his mind.

_I'm fine. Just leave me alone._ Ichigo blinked, deciding not to point out that being a squatter in his mind was the Creator's choice, not his. Shrugging to himself, he continued to wash himself. The body lotion felt absolutely wonderful, soothing his aches and pains.

The only thing that could make his bath better would be having Grimmjow in the tub with him, but the blue haired man was busy translating more tablets. Ichigo sighed to himself. If he'd known it would eat up so much of Grimmjow's time, he might not have wanted him to go through with the offer. But no, he couldn't deny his people so much knowledge. The fact that Grimmjow could only translate when Ichigo was in the Ryoko was probably already driving the scholars mad.

"He's so smart. I knew he was smart the first time I laid eyes on him, but I never guessed he was this smart." Ichigo mused, smiling at the thought. Grimmjow was very intelligent, almost intimidatingly so. But Ichigo could hold his own in that area. He was using books to learn the old tongue, himself, so he could share that wonder with Grimmjow. And he was trying to learn the written language of Inuziri. He already knew the spoken one, all Lazare learned it. The boundaries between the two worlds could be fragile sometimes and you never knew when it might be necessary.

Ichigo leaned back in the tub and let his mind go completely blank as the hot water soaked into him. It felt so, so good, just to lie in the water and let it ease away all of his cares. But then the moment was rudely interrupted with a messenger. Ichigo's eyes widened as a silver and white butterfly flittered into his bathroom and immediately disgorged a message.

_Land Warden Ichigo Kurosaki, you are commanded to attend at the Queen's Court tomorrow evening. Please arrive in the waiting room by four o'clock, no later. The attendance of your Inuziri land guard is also required. Please advise him that he is required to be clothed appropriately and to have his power fully restrained. Thank you._ Ichigo blinked as the silver butterfly settled on the edge of his tub. He scowled and gently picked it up, setting it on the soap tray. It would be safe enough there, and he could keep it and replay the message at his leisure. Which was a good thing, because he didn't know what 'power fully restrained' meant. Would Grimmjow?

"The Queen's Court? Argh!" Ichigo groaned as he slipped back into the water, wishing he could pretend the message had gone astray. Grimmjow's stories of what he'd done in the Court of Los Noches were entertaining but also cautionary. What would he do in the Queen's Court? The thought defied belief. "I have to talk to him." He wasn't going to enjoy trying to impress on Grimmjow the need for correct behavior, mainly because he was pretty sure it would go in one ear and out the other. Grimmjow had problems with any authority figures, except for the Destroyer. It seemed like the land guard placed all his faith in that dark yet not uncaring power.

Ichigo sighed and just tried to enjoy his bath. Once Grimmjow got home, he would have to deal with this. Until then, he needed to relax.

He wouldn't be able to relax for long.

* * *

"Powers fully restrained?" Grimmjow looked at the butterfly in disbelief that was quickly turning into anger. "Fuckers! I hate that." He snarled, but Ichigo looked relieved.

"You know what it is then? I was afraid you wouldn't." He said and Grimmjow bit down on some harsh words. Ichigo couldn't know why he hated this so much, so it wasn't fair to take his anger out on his lover.

"Yeah, I know." Grimmjow took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as he tried to calm his raging thoughts. Truthfully, this was a fully reasonable request. He'd had to do it for the King of Los Noches, too. It wasn't anyone's fault that this brought up the most shocking, completely unexpected chain of events of his life. "Okay. Here goes." Grimmjow decided he should at least show Ichigo, so he'd know what he was dealing with. Closing his eyes and reaching inward, he found the blue that was his power, and slowly pulled it back in.

He could feel the change coming over him, the bone armor vanishing from his skin and his hair shortening to a messy but attractive hairstyle. Other things were changing too, the shape of his ears were less animal, more like the Lazare's, and his hands turned a normal flesh color, his claws vanishing. Ichigo's eyes were wide as he finished sealing away his powers and paused, a hand over his chest.

"Grimmjow, what happened to your chest?" Ichigo asked, the question everyone asked when they first saw him like this. Grimmjow winced, dropping his hand and looking down at the scar. It was a freaking huge scar, going all the way up his chest and down onto his abdomen a bit.

"Something so fucked up, no one could believe it." He replied, shivering a bit as he thought about it. It had just been so fucking _random._ "This sealing away our powers, it's not natural but we gotta learn it. The King of Los Noches doesn't let unsealed land guards in his presence. Too much potential for assassins to get close." The King of Los Noches was a position that changed hands with depressing regularity. "It happened in my training class. I'd just finished sealing my powers when another cadet turned around and nailed me with a power blast." Grimmjow could still remember his complete surprise, the shock of pain and the screams of the other cadets as his blood went flying. "He nearly cut me in half. The teacher decapitated him right there, so I never even found out why." Grimmjow hadn't really known the guy. He was just there, one of the middling competent cadets who might make it, or might not.

"Wow." Ichigo whispered, looking at the scar. "I'm surprised you survived." He said and Grimmjow laughed, a little raggedly.

"Yeah, I am too really. It took three of the instructors all working together to pull my ass through. I never thought they'd do that for me, but I guess it creeped them out pretty bad, me almost getting it like that. Things were pretty quiet for a while after that." Grimmjow could remember how freaked out all the cadets had been. They were no strangers to death, but Grimmjow had been the strongest in the class. To have him suddenly on death's door had been shocking. "Our best guess was that he was jealous of me and going crazy because he thought he'd get eaten, but we'll never know." That bothered him a bit. He wanted to know why. "Anyway, that's why I hate sealing up my power."

"I can see why, I would hate it too if someone did something like that to me." Ichigo stepped closer then, and Grimmjow twitched as he gently laid his hand on the old scar. But then he met Ichigo's eyes, seeing the warmth in them. Love and lust, together, all for him. "But you're beautiful like this, Grimmjow. It makes you look more like a Lazare." Less feral, less dangerous. Grimmjow huffed a laugh.

"I'm still a beast in the sack." He said, not really meaning to start anything. But Ichigo grinned, leaning down and gently licking that old scar tissue. Grimmjow gasped, eyes widening. No one had ever touched his scar like that, since he'd never taken a lover in his sealed form. "Sh-shit!" The scar tissue was hypersensitive and he could feel the sensation all down his spine. Ichigo looked up at him, worried, then smiled as he saw Grimmjow's reaction was not pain.

"Prove it." Ichigo breathed as he continued working over the scar. Grimmjow growled and grabbed the angel's shoulders, yanking him up into an intense, breath taking kiss. "Mmm." Ichigo hooked a leg around his waist, rubbing against his naked body. The feel of the fabric of his kimono and hakama against Grimmjow's scar was maddening. The land guard panted, already heavily aroused as he yanked at the clothing.

"Off." He managed to say and Ichigo let go of him long enough to disrobe. Grimmjow would have considered just tearing the things off, if he'd had his claws out, but right now he couldn't. Still, they fell away quickly enough and then they were back to grinding. "F-Fuck." Grimmjow tossed his head back with a moan. He couldn't _believe_ how sensitive that damned scar was. How had he missed it all this time? Although… he wouldn't have wanted to be this vulnerable with any of his other lovers. Ichigo was the only one he'd ever trusted this far. Ichigo's mouth was on his neck then and Grimmjow gasped as the Lazare bit him, right over his jugular. His neck had always been free of bones, but he was still more conscious of his own pulse now, the feel of those blunt teeth in his skin.

Ichigo was dominating him effortlessly now, but Grimmjow decided he wasn't just going to let it happen. No, he was still a beast in the sack, even with his powers neutered. Growling, he gripped Ichigo's hair and pulled his head back, giving the Lazare's throat the same treatment his had just gotten. The angel moaned, rubbing his chest against that damn scar and making Grimmjow hiss. Gripping Ichigo's bottom, he lifted him up and shoved him against the wall. A painting fell to the floor, but he didn't give a shit and neither did Ichigo. The need to mate was all consuming.

"I am going to take you." Grimmjow breathed in the angel's ear, feeling a hard shiver run through that delicious body. Ichigo lifted his legs, wrapping the long and nimble limbs around Grimmjow's hard, muscular waist.

"Please, do it." Ichigo said in his best bedroom voice. The warm lust in it went straight to Grimmjow's animal instincts, and he claimed his lover in one smooth, fast move. Ichigo's scream was mostly pleasure, with just the tiniest bit of pain as he started to move. "Grimmjow!" Grimmjow groaned as Ichigo planted a hand on his scar, steadying himself as he took the angel with hard, fast strokes.

"You're driving me crazy." Grimmjow panted, the feel of tight, wet heat on his member and the tingling, over sensitive skin on his scar combining to drive him utterly insane. Ichigo just grinned at him then ducked his head down to lick that sensitive tissue. "F-Fuck!" Grimmjow's thrusts became stuttering and erratic as he fought not to climax right then. He wasn't even going to make eight minutes at this rate.

"Sorry Grim." Ichigo really did sound sorry, and left the scar alone, kissing him deeply and running a hand through his hair. "Oh… so good…" The angel's eyes were glazed with pleasure as Grimmjow found his best spots, drawing cries of ecstasy from those beautiful, beautiful lips. "H-Harder!" Ichigo gasped out and Grimmjow was happy to oblige, gripping his hips and trying to deepen the penetration. The soft sound of flesh against flesh and their gasps and moans were the only sounds, as they both lost themselves to the thrill of mating. "Yes!"

They were both getting close now, Grimmjow could tell from the way Ichigo's body was tensing and clenching around him. But he was determined to make the angel come first, and nuzzled his lovely, straining throat, teeth sinking into the soft flesh again. Ichigo moaned and that was the only warning Grimmjow had before a warm hand was on his chest, sliding all the way down his scar.

"Fuck!" His plans went completely out the window as he drove hard into that beautiful body and stiffened, his orgasm tearing through him and leaving him shuddering and weak. Ichigo's cry of pleasure was beautiful, and his seed splattered between them before dripping onto the floor in soft little patters. They both stared at each other, and Grimmjow couldn't imagine feeling like this for anyone else. His heart was so full, he thought it might burst.

_I'm gonna have to talk to a soul healer._ He suddenly realized as he stared into those beautiful brown eyes. _If this ended, I'd be dead inside anyway. I don't give a shit about my rebirths._ He didn't say it to Ichigo, though. The angel would damn well care about his rebirths, any mate would. Instead, Grimmjow gently nuzzled his jaw, licking and sucking on the soft skin before they slowly separated.

"Heh." Grimmjow looked down at the carpet, grinning. "Think they'll charge us if we can't get that out?" There were white spots all over the burgundy carpet. Ichigo blinked, then laughed, just leaning against the wall. His trembling legs could hardly support him.

"It'd be worth it." He said and Grimmjow leaned close to him, giving him another soul searching kiss.

He agreed with that sentiment completely.


	6. Going for a Swim

Grimmjow scowled, looking at himself in a full length mirror. He was wearing clothes. It just didn't seem right, after all the years of wearing nothing but armor of bones. The sight of his soft, vulnerable skin was also pissing him off.

They'd gone shopping and managed to find him some pretty good clothes off the rack. He didn't look like a typical Lazare, though. Grimmjow could never pass as Lazare and wasn't going to try, so he'd demanded something that flaunted the fact that he was a warrior. The white jacket he was wearing left his chest bare, leaving the scar there for everyone to see. His pants were a matching white hakama with a black sash, holding them neatly in place. The outfit managed to make him look feral and barbaric, and Grimmjow did appreciate that. Maybe there was some point to wearing clothes, when powers were sealed anyway. He'd walked into the King's Court naked, and he'd felt more vulnerable then, than he did right now.

"That's a fucking illusion, though." He muttered to himself. The clothing wouldn't do a damn thing to protect him, unlike his bone plates. "Oh well." Ichigo was still getting ready. The land warden couldn't get away with looking like a crazed Inuziri, so he had to put on something pretty damn elaborate. When Grimmjow finally got see it, he nearly choked. "Holy shit!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped, exasperated, as he adjusted his headgear. To Grimmjow's jaundiced eyes it looked like something glittery had pooped on him. "It's the required – just shut up!" Grimmjow was laughing hysterically, holding his sides. The hat was bad enough, but the full, ceremonial kimono with all the bells and whistles… literally bells, they were hanging off his shoulders and tinkling with every move… it was just too much. "You're not getting sex for a week." Ichigo growled and that finally managed to slow him down.

"A week? That's cruel and unusual. I might die." Grimmjow complained, completely ignoring the years he'd gone without regular sex in Hueco Mundo. Decades, really. Ichigo just glowered and he spread his hands, trying to look contrite. "I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He knelt down in front of the land warden, looking up into startled brown eyes. "I'll blow you off later."

"Anything to avoid abstinence, hey?" Ichigo said, finally cracking a smile. Literally, it looked like the makeup might crack if he smiled too hard. "Come on, we have a cab coming to pick us up." They walked out of the hotel slowly, since Ichigo just couldn't move quickly in his getup. Grimmjow knew that the style would never, ever catch on in Los Noches. Even in the King's court someone might decide to take a swipe at you, moving was required. Not to mention all the dancing…

"Hey, how could you dance in that thing?" He suddenly asked, as they boarded the horse drawn cab. "There is dancing right?" He'd only seen the court in Los Noches once, and briefly, but he was still pretty sure dancing and music were the usual thing, often followed by a bit of fighting and fucking. Ichigo sighed.

"There are some very formal dances. It's not easy, though." Grimmjow blinked at that and made a mental note not to participate. He loved to dance, but it sounded boring. Not that anyone but Ichigo would agree to be his partner. "I doubt we'll be invited to the festivities, so don't worry about it."

"They're not even going to feed us? Fuckers." Grimmjow muttered. "But it would probably kill my appetite anyway." He'd actually gotten a meal at the King's court, oddly enough. After they'd beaten the shit out of him, the guards had dragged him into the mess hall and given him a good piece of roasted boar. A gesture of respect for his lunacy.

"Grimmjow, please try to be polite." Ichigo sounded really worried and Grimmjow just snorted, sitting back in the padded seats of the cab. He wasn't going to promise that. He was itching for a fight and he knew it.

The Palace did catch his attention, though. It was more of the ever-present white stone, but the windows were all stained glass. Grimmjow paused to look at the pretty pictures, beautiful scenes of pastures, sheaves of wheat and land wards flying over the land. The pictures seemed to embody Lazare, even to him.

"Shit, this place is so fancy." Grimmjow muttered to himself. All this civilized land had some serious perks. Inside, the palace got even fancier. Grimmjow had to stop and stare at the vases, the paintings, the artwork. "Shit." He breathed as he looked at a vase that was just fucking _gorgeous._ It was some made of some kind of metal, enameled with blue that was as vibrant as his eyes. The blue was caught in golden wires that made lovely, scrolling patterns. "I want that one. Can I take it home?"

"No." The flunky guiding them sounded less than amused and Grimmjow sighed, leaving his new love behind. It was probably a fickle bitch anyway. Grimmjow grinned to himself at the silly thought. What would he do with a vase anyway?

There was more ornate trash on the way to the throne room, but Grimmjow stopped paying attention as they neared the huge, ornamented doors. He regarded them narrowly. There was something in the old tongue written on top, and he tried to do a quick translation. To his disgust, the doors opened before he could finish, but he knew it was something about light and liberty. Amusing. In Grimmjow's experience, Kings and Queens were about anything BUT liberty.

They both walked down a red velvet carpet, edged in gilded embroidery, and Grimmjow glanced around the throne room with studied insolence. There were more beautiful stained glass windows on both sides, letting in the sun and making the room really bright. Great pillars of white marble, shot with glittering quartz, held up the ceiling. The ceiling… the ceiling was a true work of art, covered in frescos of Lazare flying through the sky. To Grimmjow's amusement, most of them were semi-clothed. You'd never see that in the real world.

He finally took his gaze off the room and gave his attention to the throne. The woman sitting on it was pretty damn impressive, although it would take hot irons to make him admit it. She was petite, wearing a very simple white suit that was tailored to fit her slender form. Bracelets of diamonds circled her wrists and diamond bangles glittered in her white, flowing hair. Grimmjow blinked as he realized her hair looked a lot like his, in his released form. Her face was gorgeous, skin as pale as milk and eyes the color of the sky. Grimmjow wondered how his electric blue eyes stacked up. Shit, she was actually cute, not that he was interested.

A good thing, too, because her guards were looking about ready to eviscerate him, and he hadn't said a word. There were four of them, all very powerful land wards. Grimmjow could feel that they were all about his match, which meant four against one would be a resounding defeat for him. Not to mention that he was sealed and they sure as hell weren't.

"Greetings, Kurosaki Ichigo. It has been a long time before you stood in my court." She said, her voice a sweet soprano. Ichigo bowed, and Grimmjow wondered how he didn't fall over. Then he grunted as his lover elbowed him in the side and belatedly bowed. That wasn't something they did in the Inuziri. You either met the King on your feet or your knees, depending on how he felt about you. "And this is your Inuziri companion. Impressive." She gazed at him and a small smile curled her lips. "I'm pleased to see I have your attention." There was a bit of dryness there, and Grimmjow knew she'd noticed his deliberate pause to examine the room before looking at her. "How do you find the Lazare, land guard?" She asked and Grimmjow grinned wickedly. That was too good an opening to pass up.

"Lots of food, lots of nice stuff, not enough people fucking. Have you gotten any lately?" He asked and her expression didn't change, but her guards reacted instantly. One corralled Ichigo, correctly guessing that he'd try to intervene, even in his monkey suit. The other three went for him and Grimmjow had a dandy time trying to fuck them up. It didn't last long before he was pinned to the floor, one arm held at the kind of angle that promised a broken bone if he kept struggling. "Ow. Fucking sensitive, don't you think?" Grimmjow muttered into the carpet, and then grinned as he was yanked to his knees. "So what's it going to be? A beating? A whipping? Electric shocks? You'll have to be really _creative_ to make me scream." The Queen just regarded him calmly for a moment, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I think not. Take him outside and throw him into the fountain." She said, to Grimmjow's surprise and anger. Fountain? What kind of lame punishment was that? Unless it was filled with acid, but that was going a bit far. "Perhaps it can wash away the stink of childishness." Grimmjow's jaw dropped and he stared at her, eyes wide. Childish?

_She has your number._ The Destroyer sniggered in his mind. That brought him out of his stunned silence and straight into rage.

"You bitch! Who the fuck are you calling a child?!" He struggled against the guards, and it took all three of them to lift him up. "Hey! Hey, why does he have to look like a fucking glittering turd and you can get away looking like that? Inquiring minds want to – fuck!" Someone gave him a good cuff and his eyes went unfocused just before he was dragged out of the throne room. "Fountain? What kind of fucking shit is this?" He writhed but it was hopeless.

It looked like he was going for a swim.

* * *

Ichigo stood in the throne room, fighting with two competing impulses. The desire to remain and apologize to the Queen, and the need to run after Grimmjow to make sure he was unhurt. The desire to remain finally won, although only because he couldn't move fast enough. By the time he caught up with the guards Grimmjow would already have been soundly dunked. Probably multiple times.

To Ichigo's shock and surprise, though, there was a small sound from the throne. The Queen was _laughing?_

"Amusing." She was smiling now, more widely than Ichigo had ever seen before. He stared, shocked. This was almost as out of character as the Creator had been acting lately… although perhaps not. He'd only seen the Queen before on very formal occasions where solemnity was called for. "Forgive me, Ichigo, but there was no point in keeping him here. I've seen his kind before. He was begging for a punishment the instant he stepped into the room."

"You have?" Ichigo blinked. It hadn't occurred to him, but in some ways land guards and land wards were mirror images. "Do land wards act like that too?" He had trouble imagining it, but he'd never lived with the land wards, never seen how they worked.

"Only the best ones. It seems to be a point of pride to them, coming out of a meeting with me with some kind of punishment." She shook her head, faintly exasperated but also amused. Then she turned her full attention on Ichigo. "Please tell how you met him. I've read the official reports, of course, but they tend to be quite dry." The guard restraining him let go, and went back to his place beside the Queen's throne. Ichigo hesitated, then gave her a truthful account of what had happened. He couldn't help letting some of his feelings for Grimmjow color his tone as he spoke. "I see he made a profound impression."

"He did. He's… amazing." Ichigo didn't know how to convey all his feelings, but he tried. "He's everything to me." He said simply, and was surprised again to see the Queen's smile soften. Did he really know anything about her? Perhaps not.

"Wonderful. You know, I've been thinking about sending a Dominion to your estates to tend to your duties." She said conversationally and Ichigo's breath caught. A Dominion was a greater power. They served the Queen directly, handling various tasks that were beyond most land wards and wardens. They could take a physical form but usually didn't. "The translations are taking a long time, and for some reason the Creator refuses to let your land guard take etchings. I cannot imagine why not." She sounded mildly frustrated and Ichigo blinked. That had come from the Creator?

"If you could, Your Majesty, I would be most honored." He said humbly. "It would speed things considerably." Ichigo wouldn't really enjoy living in Ryoko constantly, any more than Grimmjow would, but it would still be very nice to get the translations done in an acceptable time frame. He knew it bothered Grimmjow quite a lot, leaving something so important half-done.

"Then I will do that. Oh, Ichigo, you and Grimmjow are invited to the formal dinner tonight. Please tell him we will be watching to make sure he doesn't pee in any of the potted plants." She said and Ichigo choked, because he _knew_ Grimmjow would think of doing that. Land wards and land guards really must be quite similar… the best ones, anyway. "It will not start until six. You should have time to change." She smiled at his confusion and explained. "You have not been to court often, but full formal garb is usually reserved for ceremonies. It is always wise to be cautious, but you are a touch overdressed."

"Oh." Ichigo felt his cheeks burn. But how was he to know that? Until now, he'd only come to court for those ceremonies. "Uh, so something more like you're wearing?" Grimmjow's comment before he'd been dragged out had been dead on the mark, it seemed. She nodded with a small laugh.

"Yes. What your land guard is wearing should be acceptable, although it will have to be dried quickly. Speaking of which, I believe my guards are more than finished with him. You should go make sure his pride is not too bruised." The Queen said and Ichigo bowed again, accepting his dismissal. Then he moved as fast as he could, to go see what had happened to Grimmjow.

When he arrived at the fountain, he found a bruised, sullen Grimmjow sitting on the edge of the fountain in a fluffy towel and gnawing on a chicken leg. The three guards were all watching him, although not as if they were worried. More in an assessing way. Ichigo tilted his head, wondering if he was imagining it, but he thought they seemed to approve of Grimmjow?

"Hey Ichigo!" Grimmjow waved his chicken leg and Ichigo walked over as fast as he could. The guards immediately left, returning to their duties.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked as he noticed the wide bruise on Grimmjow's cheek. The Queen hadn't told them to beat him. But Grimmjow solved that mystery instantly.

"They tossed me in the fountain, I screamed like a girl and came out swinging. Then that bastard decked me and sat on me until I stopped squirmin'. Then the bitch gave me a towel and some food. Shit, this feels like home. I mean, except the fountain and the towel. What the hell is wrong with a good whipping?" Grimmjow sounded so grouchy that Ichigo couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe they didn't want you bleeding on the floor at supper. We're invited to the formal dinner." He said with a smile and Grimmjow blinked before taking another bite out of the chicken. "And we need to go back to the inn. I need to change. It seems I'm seriously overdressed for a casual court." He was glad the Queen had told him before he could embarrass himself before all her Court. It was embarrassing as it was, that would have been worse. Grimmjow stared at him a moment then threw back his head in a wild, uncontrolled laugh.

"Hah! I knew it! You don't have to look like a glittering turd!" Ichigo grimaced, taking off his hat and shaking out his hair before looking at it. Glittering turd… well, it was rude but it fit. "Sounds great, they can dry off this shit fast right? When is this dinner?"

"One and a half hours. We have time if we get moving." And they did. Hailing a cab was easy, there were always a few waiting in front of the Palace. "Oh, the Queen says she's going to be watching to make sure you don't pee in the potted plants." Ichigo said and Grimmjow hissed.

"Shit! There goes my plan for revenge." He growled and Ichigo laughed before nestling up beside him, ignoring how damp he was.

He loved his nutty land guard.

* * *

_It seems you can't control your minions any better than I can. Your own Queen has thwarted you._ The Destroyer said maliciously to the Creator, in their endless existence between the worlds.

_Shut up! He doesn't have enough time. He won't find it._ The Creator said before leaving in a huff. The Destroyer laughed to himself.

_We'll see about that. _The Destroyer had a very good idea, now, what the Creator was hiding. And while his feelings about it were mixed, he would not stand in the way of his land guard.

He wanted to see where this would go.

* * *

Grimmjow closed his eyes, trying to stay calm as the soul healer examined him.

"Grimmjow, you don't have to do this." Ichigo sounded close to tears and Grimmjow opened his eyes, glancing at his mate. The land warden was wearing a black yukata, which made him think uncomfortable thoughts about mourning clothes. But Ichigo was getting way ahead of himself.

"Calm down, Ichigo. We need to know if it's even possible before you freak out." He said before glancing at the soul healer. "Any ideas?" He had no idea how she was doing the voodoo. In Inuziri, everyone knew they had a soul because it went for rebirth, but that was the limit of their knowledge. They certainly didn't have healers for soul problems. What could go wrong with a soul, anyway? Maybe he didn't want to know. The soul healer paused, her hand over his navel before speaking.

"Your soul is as armored as your body." Her hand gently touched a piece of his bone armor and Grimmjow frowned. "I have never seen the like. It might be possible to remove the armor, but I am not sure what the effect of suddenly making you spiritually aware will be." Grimmjow blinked.

"What does that mean?" He asked apprehensively. Was there some kind of new sense involved in this?

"You will become aware of your soul, and the other souls around you. It might be jarring." She said calmly and Grimmjow frowned. He really didn't like the sound of that, but he wasn't going to back out now. "There is a possibility your soul could shatter while I am removing the armor, or afterwards." She said and he gave her credit for giving him a warning.

"Yeah, I know, the Destroyer told me." Grimmjow took a deep breath and looked at Ichigo. The Lazare had tears in his eyes. "Ichigo, hold my hand, please." Ichigo took his hand, his grip almost painfully tight. "And don't crush it." He added, hearing a choked sob from his lover.

"You don't have to do this for me, Grimmjow." Ichigo sounded ready to cry and Grimmjow reached up, gently cupping his cheek with one hand. He knew he was distracting himself, refusing to think about what he was risking. But Ichigo did need comfort.

"I'm not doing it for you, Ichigo. I'm doing it for us." He said gently, then looked at the soul healer. "Go for it." He closed his eyes as she nodded and placed her hand on his chest.

There was pain. Grimmjow had been expecting that, but he hadn't realized how much he would hate this kind of pain. It was a pain in a deep, hidden part of him that he hadn't even been aware existed. He whimpered softly as he felt himself being violated in a fashion he'd never imagined, never even considered. It felt unimaginably wrong, and he could feel a scream building, but held it back. He wanted this. He needed this. This was for him and Ichigo.

He felt the moment when the armoring on his soul shattered, revealing what lay beneath. He did scream then, caught up in an agony that defied description. And he felt his soul shudder, felt the gentle touch of the soul healer as she tried to stabilize what they could suddenly all perceive as a ball of beautiful blue fire. But the ball was pulsing and shaking, quivering with the aftershocks of what had been done to reveal it. Grimmjow shuddered as he felt his soul begin to fracture. _Shit. Shit. Shit._ He was going to die for the last time, right here and now.

But then another power reached out and darkness swirled around the blue, gently smoothing out the quivers that were threatening to break his soul apart. The soul healer pulled back and the two Lazare stared in amazement as Grimmjow's soul passed through the dangerous moment, finding balance on the other side. Then the black vanished and Grimmjow relaxed, taking a few deep breaths before opening his eyes.

"Heh, that was it? Easy peasy." He said, his voice sounding ragged and strange. Ichigo hugged him so hard then, he thought his ribs might break. "Hey, watch it!"

"Shut up. The Destroyer saved you, you would have died if he hadn't… I love you, you stupid bastard!" Grimmjow blinked at that strange declaration of love then gasped as he felt Ichigo's soul reaching out for him. Golden tendrils touched blue, then slid through, and blue slid back without any thought. Blue eyes met brown as their souls touched, then tangled in an intimate duet. They would always be part of each other, now. Until one or the other went to rebirth, at least. But Grimmjow instinctively knew that neither one of them would survive that sundering. When one died, the other would quickly follow. That was… disturbing. Was the armor of their souls a survival mechanism for the Inuziri? Because mates came and went, often violently. If the other partner always died, that would be a lot of extra deaths.

_Huh. Perhaps. I hadn't thought of that, but much of the sundering does make sense._ The Destroyer commented. _But it's hard to see what the lack of heart bonds does to help the Lazare. It's probably just a disability, part and parcel of the fracturing._ Grimmjow ignored that, gently petting Ichigo's hair as the Lazare sniffed and buried his face against his neck. The soul healer waited patiently, then cleared her throat.

"I have other patients." She said pointedly and Ichigo blushed while Grimmjow grinned. Reality could make a hash of the most touching moment without the least effort.

"Yeah, we're moving." He hoisted himself to his feet, stretching for a moment. It was weird, but he felt good. Almost invigorated. "C'mon, let's go get some supper." He took Ichigo's hand and the land warden gave him a radiant smile. He smiled back, feeling incredibly pleased and revelling in the soul bond. It was completely new, but just felt so right.

"How about some taiyaki? I know a shop not far from here." Ichigo suggested and Grimmjow thought about it for a moment. He'd liked that little waffle cake.

"Sure, why not?" He said agreeably as they walked out of the clinic.

He thought this was the happiest he'd ever been in his life.


	7. Winning the Game

Author's note: Next chapter will be in the Inuziri, from Ichigo's perspective. Enjoy!

Grimmjow was hard at work on his translation when the curator watching him was called away.

The Lazare at the museum trusted him, by now. He'd been working on his translations for over half a year, and had proven that he was perfectly dependable and treated the artifacts with respect. Of course, that respect had been pounded into him the hard way. He'd gotten a beating once for spilling a drink over a document in class, and that had just been a copy. Messing up a tablet or an old scroll was worth an execution.

_Grimmjow. Now is your chance._ Grimmjow stopped, surprised by the eagerness in the Destroyers voice. _Quickly! Search the tablets to find the important one. You are running out of time!_

"Huh?" He was moving even as he spoke, though. He could tell the Destroyer was serious and would not tolerate any delay in obedience. "What do you mean, running out of time?" That made no sense at all. There was no time limit on his being here.

It was weird, but after he'd lipped off to the Queen the land wards had been more accepting of him. He'd been allowed to go to their training grounds and spar. That had been really good for him, getting in some quality time with various warriors. Ichigo was great, but when you fought against just one person you started to know their style. It was good to liven things up. He only wished he could take Ichigo and get him practicing against other people, but that was not to be. The land wards weren't about to spar with a land warden.

So really, no one had much of a problem with him. Even the Queen wasn't about to kick him out. What could be the time constraint?

_You'll know soon. Keep searching._ Mystified and slightly worried, Grimmjow kept opening filing cabinets to look at tablets. Plenty of them he knocked off the list immediately, some he put down as potentially interesting. Then he opened one particular cabinet.

"Oooh." Grimmjow muttered as he carefully extracted the tablet. He recognized the ornamentation at the top. This was _interesting._ "What should I do?" He wasn't going to be able to make a translation in the time he had before the curator came back. This thing was full of very fine pictograms, not the big clunky things most tablets had. And he wasn't sure he could translate this kind of tablet anyway.

_Take an imprint. You can take it with you, where you're going._ Grimmjow frowned at that but quickly located paper and charcoal. He carefully pressed the charcoal stick against the paper, carefully making his etching. The process couldn't be hurried much, it needed to be done right. _Hurry!_

"Shut up." Grimmjow muttered, catching his tongue between his teeth as he worked. "This ain't easy, you dick." The tablet was big and the pictograms were small, it needed a delicate hand. Fortunately, he managed to finish without incident and he quickly rolled up the papers. "Uh… shit." Grimmjow breathed, cringing internally. There was only one possibly place to store the papers where someone wouldn't see them. "This is going to fucking hurt." He sighed and made the bone plates on his chest vanish for a moment. He pressed the papers to his chest and let the bone form over them. "OW!" It stung, badly, as the bones tried to accommodate a foreign object. He grimaced as he heard the paper crinkle and hoped there was no damage. "Damn it." Working quickly now, he put the tablet back. He was just getting the cabinet closed as the curator came back.

"Who left these out?" He cringed internally as she noticed the charcoal. Fortunately, he'd used up all the papers. "I'll put them away." But she was clearly a trusting soul and Grimmjow relaxed as she put away the tools he'd been using. Smiling to himself, he went back to his tablet. But even as he worked on it, his mind kept going back to the etching he'd just made. The ornamentation, the tight pictograms, matched an incomplete set of tablets held in the scriptorium of Los Noches. One tablet was missing, and it always had been. Could this be what was needed to complete the set?

Too bad he couldn't go back to Inuziri. The scholars would erect a statue in his honor.

* * *

Grimmjow tried to translate the etching he'd made of the tablet, but quickly gave up.

The dialect was right, everything about it was right, but the pictograms being used defeated him. Grimmjow knew what they were in a generic sense. They were mathematical equations that described the flow of power, things that were far beyond a land guard. A land warden used flows of power, so maybe Ichigo could have understood a bit… but he didn't have the knowledge of the old tongue, this dialect at least. He was managing to learn the other type, but he was still learning. There was no point in confusing him with a dialect until he got conversant in the main language.

Grimmjow sighed, carefully rolling the pages up and putting them into a waterproof case. He'd managed to get it from a map store, and it was a fine thing, the same quality as the one he'd used in Hueco Mundo. That one was lost, still hanging off a tree where he'd left his pack when he'd attacked the worm. Someone had probably stolen it by now, or maybe it was still hanging there, just waiting for him to come back. With Hueco Mundo you could never be sure. Things could be undisturbed for a thousand years and destroyed in a day.

He'd also picked up a travelling pack, papers and charcoal. He just didn't know why, and that worried the hell out of him. It felt like the Destroyer was planning on him leaving. But how could that happen? Ichigo was a land warden, he couldn't leave his land entirely. The Dominion was just filling in for a while. And yet…

Grimmjow suddenly went cold as something occurred to him. Swallowing hard, he went to check the calendar. Yes. Tomorrow would be one year, exactly, since the day he had been reborn in the Lazare.

"Okay you motherfuckers, spill. I don't care which one of you. What the fuck is happening tomorrow?" He said firmly, wishing Ichigo was around to diss the Creator out. Not that he'd ever seen Ichigo swear, but maybe if he knew something was seriously up he would.

_Mmm, Grimmjow, you're far too smart for your own good. Just give the boy some mind blowing sex and wait for tomorrow._ The Destroyer advised and Grimmjow snarled. _I can't tell you, it's not allowed. I admit, it's a rather stupid rule when things are already decided, but what can you do?_ Then the Destroyer's presence was gone from his head and Grimmjow swore, creatively, first in Inuziri and then in Lazare.

"What are you going on about?" Ichigo entered the room with a smile, holding a platter of food. Grimmjow's nose twitched at the smell of corned beef hash. It was a delicious dish, a combination of corned beef, potatoes, onions, bell peppers and spices, with eggs on top. "Are you hungry?"

"I am now." Grimmjow licked his lips, but he couldn't get his mind off the calendar. "Ichigo, do you know what tomorrow is?" Ichigo's smile widened as he set the tray down on the table.

"It's our one year anniversary!" He said happily and Grimmjow blinked. He hadn't been thinking about it like that. "I got us tickets to go see a special concert. The best harpist in Lazare is going to be there. You liked the harp at the manor, and she's ten times as good as our harpist back home."

"Uh, yeah." How to break this to his mate? Shit. "Um, Ichigo… I don't think we're going to get to see her." Grimmjow said awkwardly as Ichigo blinked at him, confused. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but the Destroyer had me pack up a travel kit. Something is on for tomorrow." He winced as he saw Ichigo pale.

"You're leaving me?" The land warden said quietly but Grimmjow could feel his heart breaking. He immediately enfolded the other man in his arms, holding him tightly and stroking that beautiful orange hair.

"No way in hell. Nothing could ever take me away from you but death." He promised, his voice a deep and purring growl. He felt Ichigo relax, felt the land warden's arms go around him. "But something is still up. We're a set now, breaking us up would kill us, so…" Grimmjow shrugged uncomfortably. "If I'm going somewhere, you are too." Ichigo swallowed as he thought about that and shook his head.

"Maybe the Destroyer is just messing with you." Ichigo said and Grimmjow frowned. While that was a possibility, it was vanishing unlikely. The Destroyer had this little snigger in his voice when he was messing with you, and he hadn't sounded like that at all this time. If anything, he'd sounded… satisfied? Yes. Like his plans were going well and the Creator's weren't. "Maybe nothing at all is going to happen tomorrow except our anniversary." Ichigo sounded determined and Grimmjow mentally gave in. There was no point in worrying anyway. He just had no way to know what was going on.

"Well, if that's right we'll see a great concert." Grimmjow said humorously before looking at the food. "C'mon, let's eat before it gets cold." Ichigo seemed glad to drop the subject. They both dug into the food, and Grimmjow savored it. He'd had corned beef before, or something similar, but the potatoes and bell peppers put it over the top. "Oh yeah, there is one thing." He said and Ichigo looked at him questioningly, his mouth full. "The Destroyer said I should give you some mind blowing sex tonight." Ichigo swallowed his food, then laughed.

"Well, I'm not going to say no to that! What did you have in mind?" Ichigo asked, a mischievous light in his warm brown eyes. Grimmjow considered it. What did he want for tonight? A wicked thought crossed his mind and he grinned.

"I want you to use those fur lined cuffs I picked up at that store." He purred, watching Ichigo swallow without any food. "Put them on me, chain me to the bed then do whatever the hell you want to me. Oh, and the blindfold, so I can't see what's coming." Surrendering himself completely… he'd never have done that before Ichigo, never trusted a mate of the moment not to slit his throat. But he could let Ichigo have that control. Ichigo would never, ever hurt him.

"I thought you meant those for me." Ichigo sounded dazed and Grimmjow's grin widened.

"Ah, that's for round two." Grimmjow loved Ichigo's expression at that. Sort of a combination of lust and 'oh shit.' "But hey, remember to eat, this food is good." He said, eating more of the hash. Then he noticed the tray had come with some pickles. Pickles? Hurhurhur… Grimmjow picked up a pickle and began to slowly suck on it, lifting his chin so Ichigo would see the movement of his throat as he swallowed.

"How am I supposed to eat when I'm hard as a rock? Grimmjow, you tease!" Ichigo complained, hunching over in his seat a bit. Grimmjow grinned, still molesting his pickle.

"Well, this stuff is pretty good cold. How about we make our fantasies come true right now?" He suggested and Ichigo responded by pulling on the tie of his yukata, shedding the fabric. "Shit you are sexy." Grimmjow breathed, feeling his little friend beginning to stir. He set down the pickle and stood as Ichigo pushed back his chair. The land warden was smiling and Grimmjow swallowed as he saw that he was, indeed, fully aroused. That was a beautiful sight.

"So where did you put those cuffs?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow grinned, going to find the cuffs. They were still in a bag, but he always put the bags in the same place, by the nightstand. Then he lay down on the bed, letting Ichigo chain and blindfold him. Just that was kind of erotic, letting the control be handed over to someone else. Grimmjow shivered as warm breath teased his throat, and an agile tongue explored his skin. "Hey Grimm, can you seal your powers for me?" Ichigo asked softly and Grimmjow stiffened. "Sorry, but there's not going to be much surprising involved otherwise."

"Uh… okay, you've got a point." Grimmjow had to allow. With his bone plates in the way, Ichigo only had access to his privates. Which was a great and wonderful thing, but not if the intent was to surprise and tease. Closing his eyes, he drew in his power before letting out a shaking breath. He was truly defenseless now. Ichigo could kill him in a heartbeat. "Damn, I do love you." Nothing could show his love more than this absolute trust. Ichigo moved off his with a rustle and Grimmjow smiled as he tried to imagine what the land warden was going to do first. Lick his scar? Touch his nipples? Or maybe – "Oh." He gasped as delicate warmth enfolded his toes. "What in fuck?" This was completely new. Was Ichigo sucking his toes? That was something he'd never have dared try in his released form, Grimmjow's toe claws didn't retract at all. But they vanished completely when he sealed. "Holy crap." Grimmjow gasped as Ichigo delicately teased one toe before letting go with a small pop, then moved on to the next. Every toe on his right foot got its own attention, and Grimmjow was panting and horny as hell when Ichigo moved on to his other foot. "Ichigo! Hey… did you realize I don't wear shoes…?"

"Shut up, you idiot. You're ruining the moment." Ichigo ordered him and Grimmjow obeyed, just giving himself over to the feeling as Ichigo worked on his other foot. They couldn't be too dirty or Ichigo wouldn't be so intent on his toes. And damn it, it felt good. He'd never imagined that something so weird could feel so good.

Then he felt Ichigo move up his body. He still jumped a little, though, when the land warden nibbled his inner thigh, gently teasing the sensitive skin. Then his mouth travelled to Grimmjow's sac, and the land guard let out a low moan as wet warmth caressed one ball, then the other.

"I love how they're furry." Ichigo whispered, his breath hot on that sensitive flesh. Then he moved again and Grimmjow gasped as his manhood was grasped, then covered in warmth.

"Sh-shit!" He moaned and tried to thrust up, but Ichigo held him down firmly. The lack of sight seemed to amplify his pleasure, and Grimmjow could feel every lash of Ichigo's warm, flexible tongue. The land warden was tracing every dimple, every crevasse of his flash as though he wanted to memorize him. "Feels so good…" Grimmjow said, making a mental vow to drive Ichigo completely insane, when it was his turn in the chains. This was just _amazing._

Ichigo wasn't stopping, though. Grimmjow held out for an impressive amount of time before panting out the fact that he was going to come, but that only made the angel prod the tip of his erection with his tongue, tasting his pre-cum. Grimmjow tried thinking unsexy thoughts, tried anything to hold his reaction back, but he couldn't. He finally came with a howl, and felt Ichigo's mouth and throat moving around him, swallowing every bit of his release. Then a warm wetness splashed against one of his legs, and he realized that Ichigo had been touching himself, bringing himself to climax at the same time. He lay still for a moment, feeling boneless and pleased, but then tugged on the chains.

"Hey, I want my turn." He said, and then got a real surprise.

"No." Ichigo said and Grimmjow froze for a moment. No? But then he caught the impish tone in his lover's voice. "I'm enjoying this. You can have the chains on me tomorrow… tonight is mine." A warm, slender body climbed up him and settled against him. Grimmjow shivered as he felt his cock stirring again at the feel of Ichigo's slender legs, encircling his waist, the feel of his softened member against his belly. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are like this?" Ichigo's voice was full of lust and Grimmjow grinned, trying to aim it towards where he thought the land warden's head was.

"All I have to do is think about how you would look like this, and I know how sexy I am." He said with a purr. Ichigo, in these furry cuffs, blindfolded, his cheeks flushed adorably as Grimmjow molested him… oh yeah, his little buddy was coming back to life in a hurry now. Ichigo laughed softly, running a finger down his scar and making Grimmjow arch in pleasure.

"I don't think you have any idea. I wish I could capture this and show you." Ichigo leaned down and kissed him. Grimmjow responded eagerly, feeling the Lazare's shaft beginning to harden, where it rested on his abdomen. "Mmm. You taste like pickles." Grimmjow swallowed at that murmur in his ear, then gasped as Ichigo's hand encircled his erection, playing with his hardened length. "I want to be inside you." Ichigo whispered in his ear and Grimmjow swallowed hard at that thought, turning his blindfolded face towards Ichigo.

"Then do it. I want you so bad." He concentrated a moment, getting the necessary lubrication. This kind of penetration could not be a surprise. Then he gasped as Ichigo lifted his hips and slowly, teasingly rested his head at his entrance. "Ichigo, what the fuck?" He grunted, trying to squirm closer, but the land warden had his hips in a tight grip.

"Tell me how much you want it." Ichigo said, his voice drenched in lust. Grimmjow swallowed. That was another dirty yet sexy request.

"I want you so fucking bad, I'm dying here. Please, please fuck me Ichigo." He begged shamelessly, desperate for the feel of his mate inside him. Ichigo moaned, clearly affected by that plea as he began to push inside. "Shit! Ah!" Grimmjow moaned in pure pleasure as he felt Ichigo's body inside him, teasing him from the inside out. "Move, damn it!" He growled and Ichigo laughed before really taking him, moving hard and fast into his flesh. But that wasn't all he was doing. No, not even close. A warm tongue slid over his scar, making Grimmjow whimper and tug on his chains. That just felt so damn _good._ Ichigo's hand was on his cock, but not stroking it. No, he was holding back his release as he tortured the land guard with his scar. "Shit, I could almost thank the bastard who tried to kill me…" Grimmjow muttered as shocks kept going through his spine, as that hypersensitive tissue was stimulated again and again. "Oh, Destroyer help me…"

_Don't mind me, I'm just quietly wanking off in the corner._ Grimmjow froze for a brief moment and Ichigo slowed down with a sound of confusion. Then Grimmjow relaxed and urged him on with a guttural moan while sending his ultimate overlord a giant "FUCK YOU" in his mind. _No, fuck you._

"Bastard… oh…!" Grimmjow wasn't about to let the squatter in his mind ruin things. Everyone knew the Destroyer was a randy bastard, anyway. So when Ichigo hit his hot spot inside, he just gave himself over to the pleasure, moaning as his muscles tightened. His orgasm was close, so close, but Ichigo wasn't letting him release. "Please, damn it, please!" He begged shamelessly, savoring every moment of his pleasurable torture. Ichigo's hand was gone then, no, it was stroking him in time with every hot thrust as his head dipped down and a hot tongue slid up his scar. "Ichigo!" Grimmjow screamed his name as he came, his release splattering across his chest, coating his scar. Ichigo gently lapped it up, making Grimmjow whimper as he thrust in harder. It was a half dozen hard, fast strokes before the land warden keened his own pleasure, filling Grimmjow's insides with his seed. They both lay together, panting for a moment, and then Ichigo reached up and flipped the blindfold off. Grimmjow looked into tired, sated brown eyes and smiled. He was sure he looked just as satisfied with their lovemaking. Then his stomach reminded him of something. "Hey, can you undo these things? You must be hungry." Grimmjow might not need to eat but Ichigo definitely did. The land warden laughed tiredly, finding the catches to the cuffs and undoing them for him.

"I am so hungry. But let's get you cleaned up before we eat." Grimmjow nodded, sitting up and glancing down at himself. He was a mess. But then, good sex was always messy.

And what would the world be without good sex?

* * *

_I told you he wouldn't find it._ The Creator was almost insufferably smug. The Destroyer tried to feign indifference, but the Creator could feel the irritation beneath.

_I still have your piece. And he's a fine, fine piece. He'll make an excellent land guard._ The Destroyer purred and the Creator hissed at the thought. _Well, I have no direct equivalent for a land warden, and Grimmjow has already trained him well. He will be excellent._

_I wish you joy of him. _The Creator departed, still quite smug. When he was certain the other was gone, the Destroyer began to laugh.

He and the Creator knew each other quite well, so it wasn't often he managed to fool the other quite so thoroughly.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and early, and the Creator did not waste time dropping the bomb on the young lovers.

_Ichigo, since you have actually managed to soul bond with this land guard, I have no choice. The Destroyer has won our wager and your soul now belongs to him. _Ichigo sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes wide. Grimmjow stirred beside him before jolting upright with a yelp as the Destroyer yanked him out of sleep. _You will be going to the Inuziri today. I give you time to pack._

"Wh-what… what… no! Wait! Who will tend to the garden? Who will take over my duties?" To say Ichigo was horrified would be an understatement. Leave behind his land? Go to a place where people ate each other and laid eggs in the sands? A place that had horrors like the Dweller that had impaled Grimmjow? Although a small part of his heart and soul found it an alluring prospect. He would be by Grimmjow's side, and together they could handle anything. He could finally have the danger he so secretly desired.

_I will rebirth someone to do so. Now, you are the Destroyers. _Ichigo was speechless as he felt the connection cut off with a shocking finality. Then another presence touched him, familiar and almost welcome.

_Hello again. I'm afraid you're being kicked out. He's such a prig, sometimes. _Grimmjow snickered and Ichigo realized the Destroyer was speaking to them both. _Don't bother with food. When I bring you over, I will rebirth you into the body of a land guard._

"So when are you bringing us over?" Grimmjow asked and Ichigo gripped his arm, needing the support. The blue haired man smiled and put an arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

_Right now._ There was no pain as they were both enfolded in darkness. To the contrary, it was comforting and warm. They both vanished, and so did Grimmjow's travel pack.

The one that contained the etchings he'd taken.


	8. Inuziri

Two balls of light appeared out of nowhere, gradually solidifying into similar forms. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen the bodies form from the inside out, a rather nauseating process. But the trail through the pine forest was empty, with only the song of a few birds and the chittering of squirrels for company.

"Oh." Ichigo almost fell to his knees. He felt strange, terribly strange. Then he blinked as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Grimmjow?" He lifted his head, feeling oddly heavy as he swayed on his feet. Then he glanced down, his eyes widening. "Oh!" He examined himself curiously, lifting his hands in front of him. They were like Grimmjow's now, but instead of being black they were a tawny color. His feet, though, were very different. Grimmjow's were like a cats, but his made Ichigo think of a bird. Three long toes in the front, and one in the back. He flexed a foot, getting used to the new sensation.

"You still have wings." Grimmjow sounded awed and Ichigo glanced over his shoulder. His wings were indeed there, but they were covered in bone like Grimmjow's body. Wings of bone, rather than feathers. And his hair was much longer, now, a curtain of orange falling down his back. That explained why his head felt heavy. "You're an eagle type. That's pretty damn rare, Ichigo." But Ichigo couldn't give Grimmjow his attention. It was all on the scene in front of him.

They were in a pine forest, the Desolador Pinar. Great trees reached for the sky, more immense than anything Ichigo had ever seen. They ranged from utterly massive things, so large it would have taken several men to encircle them, down to tiny saplings. All the trees struggled for the light, and as soon as one fell the neighbours took advantage, stretching out for more. Ichigo would have been enthralled, and perhaps he was enthralled, but his attention was on the sign in front of him. It was nailed to the branch of a great tree, fairly high off the ground but easily reachable to anyone who could climb. With bright red lettering, the sign clearly stated that this was Desolador Pinar. But that was not what held Ichigo's attention to it.

That was the corpse beneath it, swinging at the end of a rope. Ichigo's gorge rose as he realized it was well rotted and picked over by the carrion crows. Some vile liquid leaked from it, dropping to the ground in slow, steady droplets. A haze rose up in his mind and he knew he was going to puke. He couldn't help it. He'd seen dead things before but never anything like this –

"Ah, shit. That's the Inuziri sayin' 'welcome home, Grimmjow.'" The land guard said with a sigh before gripping Ichigo's chin and yanking his gaze away, forcing him to look at Grimmjow. "Calm down, Ichigo. It happens all the time, and this is a favorite spot for it."

"Why?" He whispered, looking into feral, electric blue eyes. Grimmjow did not seem in the least bit fazed by the dreadful scene.

"Why is it a favorite spot? It's dramatic, putting it where the Desolador Pinar changes to the Furioso Selva. That's Furious Rainforest." Ichigo blinked, momentarily distracted, and glanced back away from the sign. He couldn't see much difference in the nature of the trees, but he supposed the forest changed gradually. "If you mean why he died, who knows. He could've cheated at dice, people can get worked up over that. Might have been a family feud, might have been someone showing off their latest kill." Ichigo felt sick again at that. "Might be justice, too. We make our own justice here, so maybe he was a rapist or a murderer. Who knows? Who cares?" Grimmjow just sounded resigned and Ichigo swallowed as he met those blue eyes again.

"You don't like it." He suddenly said. Grimmjow hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"It's not my thing. I kill, it's what I do, but I've never been one to flaunt a kill. I've never done much torture, either, just what I needed for information once or twice." He admitted and Ichigo frowned, wondering what the land guard could have needed to know that much. Couldn't the Destroyer have told him? Then he heard a sniff in his mind.

_I don't know everything, you know. I feel massive fluxes in the power flows, and I can see through all my land guards eyes, but I cannot know about more minor things._ Ichigo nodded to his new ultimate power. _Although I can see through and speak to multiple guards at once. That's how I can give you so much attention, hah._ Ichigo sighed to himself at that. He almost wished he could get some privacy in his own head. Did the Destroyer watch as they had sex? _Yes, yes I do._ Grimmjow's laugh was a surprise, and reminded Ichigo that the Destroyer was talking to them together.

"Anyway, we better get moving." Grimmjow let go of him, picking up his pack and slinging it over his shoulder. Ichigo took a deep breath and grabbed his own pack. He'd brought things that would be worth money in the Inuziri, mostly. Several knives, some jewelry and beads, things that did not betray their Lazare origins. "Since dick breath was so thoughtful, putting us right under the sign, there should be a village not too far from here. I'll start teachin' you as we travel." Ichigo nodded then blinked as Grimmjow started off at a ground eating lope. He followed after, and it took him a bit of trying to master the gait. When he did, though, it was as effortless as breathing. It was fast and he could tell they would both be able to keep up this pace all day. "Now." Grimmjow spoke carefully, interspersing the words with his breathing. "The Desolador Pinar is the easiest of the three forests, a great training area for rookie land guards. There are a few things you need to look out for, though. The big one is the flutterbugs." Ichigo blinked at that. Flutterbugs? "They're these moth things. Easy to see in the daylight, freakin' hard to see at night. The spit acid and they always go for your eyes." Ichigo looked at the forest as they ran, trying to spot one. "I'll show you one when I see one. Anyway, the one good thing is they don't move fast at all. But travelling at night can be a pain in the ass, and you need a tent to sleep in around here. We'll get one at the village."

"Right." Ichigo said, noticing that Grimmjow's eyes were constantly moving. He was looking at everything, never stopping, never relaxing.

_You need to do that._ The Destroyer sounded very serious now and Grimmjow made a questioning sound. He didn't know what Ichigo was thinking about to prompt that comment. _You must always, always be looking. Something is always thinking of killing you, and if you are unwary you will die._

"Ah… shit." Grimmjow muttered and Ichigo looked at him. The land guard was still giving his attention to the surroundings. "I don't know how to teach that. Anyone who makes it past hatchling knows that."

"I'll learn how, Grimm." Ichigo said, and gave himself over to the effort, trying to mimic Grimmjow's constant, darting eyes. Although he didn't know what to look for, yet. But that would come with time. "You were saying?"

"Uh, right. The other main threat in the Pinar is the people. There's a shitload of people here, and rookie land guards trying to make a name for themselves. Some of the dumbasses will try to take on another land guard, just to make a splash. Third big threat is the wildlife. The wild boars can get huge and they are fucking nasty, if you see one just climb a tree. The bacon isn't worth it." Ichigo snorted to himself at the thought. The only pigs in the Lazare were sweet, pink things. How could they be vicious? "Yeah, you laugh, I'm gonna be laughing the first time you have to head up a tree." Grimmjow said with a grin, guessing Ichigo's thoughts. "There's lots of deer and shit, that's pretty harmless, but there's also a few wolf packs. Again, go up a tree. But you have to watch out for the trees at night, that's when the big cats hunt. Walk under the wrong tree without looking and you'll be a meal." Ichigo nodded. "That's about it. Really, most of the wildlife here is a minor threat compared to the flutterbugs and people."

"Right." Ichigo took a deep breath, trying to memorize all of that. He did not want to be a burden on Grimmjow. It was almost hypnotic, though, the way they were running. The feel of stones and leaves crunching underfoot, the easy movement of the strides. Ichigo's attention wandered from the forest to Grimmjow. The veteran land guard was practically dancing, finding the best stones to grasp with his catlike feat and shove himself forward with. His blue hair streamed behind him like a curtain, bouncing with every stride. Ichigo smiled, then turned his gaze back to the forest around him. To his surprise, he spotted movement.

"Grimmjow? Is that a flutterbug?" Ichigo pulled to a stop, peering into the forest as Grimmjow leapt back in an easy, graceful movement that left him a little dazed. Grimmjow peered into the forest and nodded.

"Good eye! That's deep in, no threat, but c'mon and take a look." Grimmjow looked over the trees before they stepped into the forest and Ichigo followed his lead, looking for anything out of place. It was strange, but he felt like he was already getting the hang of this. "Yep, a flutterbug. You can see why we call them that."

"Yes." Ichigo examined the thing, a bit disappointed. It was a cuddly looking moth, with large grey wings. The mottled, black striped pattern they bore probably would be very difficult to see in the dark though. It was only the size of his hand though, and it moved like a pregnant bumblebee. "That's really dangerous?" He asked and Grimmjow laughed.

"If it gets you in the eyes, it is. But the worst is when they flock together. It doesn't happen often, but a flock of flutterbugs is something you run from." Ichigo winced. He could imagine hundreds of these things together, spitting acid. That could be ugly, they were individually small targets. Although some good power blasts… but then Grimmjow slapped his back. "But good spotting it, I missed it. C'mon, let's keep going."

"Right!" Ichigo followed Grimmjow closely, feeling warmed. He'd spotted something the veteran had missed.

Maybe he was going to be good at this.

* * *

"I said no!" Ichigo started slightly as Grimmjow slammed a fist down into a plank of wood. "No less than six silver!"

"Four and a half." The merchant said, completely unimpressed with the land guard. Grimmjow snarled and Ichigo let his gaze wander, looking over the village.

It was very strange to a Lazare. Instead of one large home where everyone lived, there were tiny little homes scattered all over the place. The Lazare did have similar things, but only in cities, and this was clearly not any kind of city. The quality of the shelter varied from wretched to squalid. Most were simply wattle huts, with branches for roofs. Ichigo wondered how any of them could be watertight and had a sneaking suspicion they weren't. There was a large fire burning in the centre of the village, and something was roasting over it. Three people were guarding that fire and threatening to kill anyone who got too close to their food. Ichigo winced as he heard upraised voices and the smack of a hand on flesh. Then two young Inuziri darted past him and Grimmjow, giggling and holding hands. Ichigo watched them go, smiling slightly. Grimmjow had certainly been right about how many young lovers you could find in the Inuziri.

Grimmjow finally sold the knife for five silvers and Ichigo glanced over as he hissed. He was astonished to see the land guard putting them under his bone plates. Grimmjow saw him looking and grinned.

"Best way to not get pick pocketed I know." He said with a grin and Ichigo shook his head with a smile. He could see that that would work, but it looked painful. "And it won't be long. I'm going to introduce you to the joys of White Lightning!"

"Oh, that alcohol thing you mentioned? I'd love to try it." Ichigo said sincerely and, as it turned out, completely inaccurately. Grimmjow led him to a rather large wattle hut, with no front on it at all. Inside were rows of benches where people could sit and eat. Ichigo didn't feel the least bit hungry, probably because he didn't need to eat, and he wasn't much tempted to try the food here. It looked like a horrible, half-burnt stew. But a female Lazare quickly came over to find out what they wanted.

"Two White Lightning, and make it a good brand. Nothing cheap or I'll be ripping off faces." Grimmjow instructed and she nodded, unsurprised and unintimidated.

"It'll be a silver for two big bottles." She warned him and Grimmjow nodded. "I'll see your money first." Her voice had a hissing sound, and Ichigo noticed that she seemed to be a snake type. All the Lazare took after one animal or another, in their released forms. Grimmjow snapped down a silver, uncovering it for a moment before putting his hand over it. "Be right back." The snake woman walked away, rolling her hips in a way that made many of the men in the bar watch her appreciatively. Grimmjow just snorted and looked away.

Ichigo waited patiently, resisting the urge to sneeze at the small of unwashed bodies and acrid smoke. Then two large bottles were thumped down in front of them. He opened his and was about to take a drink when Grimmjow caught his wrist.

"Be careful. This stuff bites like fire." He warned before letting go. Ichigo hesitated, then took a very tiny, careful sip.

He was glad he did. Despite Grimmjow's warning, he almost choked as it went down his throat like a serrated blade. Horrified, he looked at the bottle then blinked as he saw Grimmjow swig the stuff back, his throat moving as he swallowed.

"Grimmjow, how can you?" He asked, feeling a strange warmth in his gut. "This stuff is vile!" Grimmjow laughed and slapped him on the back.

"You'll get used to it, kid. Ain't much of it in Hueco Mundo, I'll admit." Ichigo nodded, reminded of their cover story. None of the Inuziri thought much of the Lazare, but there was no reason to admit he'd once been one. Unlike the Lazare, people in the Inuziri came and went so frequently that no one would ever think he was out of place. So their story, such as it was, was that he was a newly evolved hatchling from Hueco Mundo who'd been promoted to land guard by the Destroyer himself. Grimmjow was his trainer and tutor. That was unusual, but if the Destroyer said it then that was that. "Take another sip. You'll find it gets better with practice." Ichigo hesitated, but he wanted to see what Grimmjow liked about this. He took another, bigger swallow this time and found the pain had eased slightly. But the warm feeling increased.

"Hm." Ichigo murmured, fascinated by that feeling. Then he blinked and rubbed his nose. It felt oddly numb. They drank quietly for a while, Grimmjow finishing almost half his bottle while Ichigo drank barely an eighth of his. But Ichigo was the one swaying in his seat when he spoke. "I feel so strange." It wasn't a bad feeling, though. In fact, it was pretty nice, especially when he leaned against Grimmjow. The land guard chuckled and Ichigo smiled as he was soundly kissed. Grimmjow's lips tasted like the liquor, and Ichigo attacked them greedily.

"You're a lightweight, Ichigo. Time to call it quits." To Ichigo's disappointment, Grimmjow took both the bottles of alcohol and put them away in his pack. "Let's go find some place to sleep for the night."

"Mmm, right." But that didn't happen. Instead, they both got distracted by the fire the men had been using to roast their meat. They'd taken the meat off and were busy devouring it, so the fire had been claimed by several people to just sit beside and look at the fire. Grimmjow and Ichigo both thought that was a fine idea and took a seat, staring at the hypnotic flames. Ichigo tilted his head back, following the sparks as they danced up into the sky. This place was barbaric and horrible. Why did he love it? Then Grimmjow started to sing and all other thought were driven out of his mind by the sound. Grimmjow sounded like an angel when he sang.

_In time, bleeding wounds will heal,_

_Unlike some which are too deep to see,_

_Like scars in the Nomad's soul,_

_Their mending is so slow._

_Not a shout of a hundred enemies,_

_Can make him feel fear inside him._

_But when sunsets sets and the cold arrives,_

_With crushing solitude in the darkness of night._

_Sing with him. _Ichigo felt dazed at the Destroyer's gentle prompt. He didn't know the song. Or at least, he thought he didn't, but somehow he managed to join his voice with Grimmjow's as he snuggled against the other land guard's side. Grimmjow's arm slid around his waist, and it felt like they were alone as they sang. Just the two of them and the beautiful fire, sending sparks into the sky.

_He will run across land and time,_

_To find a way through this endless night._

_There's a storm in his heart and the fire burns his soul,_

_But the wanderer's part is to run alone._

The song paused for a moment and Ichigo became aware that several other people were beating out a rhythm and humming. They knew the song, and they knew there was supposed to be a moment before the final verse. And he knew, in his heart, the proper moment to sing again. Grimmjow kissed his cheek and then it was time to sing.

_He has had a hundred women by his side,_

_From great pine woods to the freezing North._

_He is known at every sea and far beyond,_

_As the moon grows and the circle is complete, _

_He lies down and waits for sleep,_

_But there's always a scenery in his mind,_

_Of all the beauty he once left behind._

There was another pause, and the drumbeats and the humming sounded sad. Ichigo looked into feral blue eyes and realized what this song was about. The land guards, all of them. This was a song for them. A song for Grimmjow… Then the final moment came and Ichigo put his heart in his eyes as he sang again.

_He will run across land and time,_

_To find a way through this endless night._

_There's a storm in his heart and the fire burns his soul,_

_But the wanderer's part is to run alone._

Ichigo moaned softly as Grimmjow kissed him, oblivious to the chorus of appreciative whistles from everyone else around the campfire. Not for the kissing, but for the music they had just been treated to. Grimmjow pulled away then grinned at the audience, waving a hand and getting a few more whistles. Then he gently helped Ichigo to his feet, picking up the packs.

"Bedtime Ichigo. C'mon, I think they're renting out some space over there." Ichigo mumbled an affirmative as he stumbled after Grimmjow. He felt incredibly drowsy now. That alcohol was something else. Ichigo was only half-aware as Grimmjow handed over a copper coin and drew him into the hut. There were other people there, but he didn't care as Grimmjow found them a spot in the middle of the pile of bodies.

Closing his eyes, Ichigo quickly drifted off to a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

Ichigo woke slowly, feeling warm, happy and surprisingly content.

Opening his eyes just a crack, he saw Grimmjow in front of him. The land guard was curled around him, and between them and under them were their packs, protected from thievery by their bodies. Ichigo frowned, though, as he realized someone was breathing into his neck from behind. He very carefully disengaged from Grimmjow's arms, watching as the land guard automatically rested them over his possessions, even in sleep. He glanced behind him and was vaguely surprised to see the snake woman from the inn. But he quickly realized why she had been spooning behind him. The hug was nearly full of people, all of them enjoying the safety of the hut and the body warmth of each other. No one seemed to think anything of the contact, and Ichigo realized that those on the outer edge were shivering slightly, trying to burrow closer for more warmth.

Then his body called for attention and Ichigo grimaced, pulling himself to his feet. Grimmjow would be safe here, among all these people. He needed to pee, and badly. Stumbling out of the hut, he rubbed his head. He had a bit of a headache, but it was already starting to go away. He was going to find a tree but stopped when he saw someone was already urinating on the side of the hut. And from the smell, that was common practice. Shrugging to himself, Ichigo decided to just go with it. It was disgusting but the hut was nothing to write home about either.

"Hey, good singing last night." The other man said gruffly and Ichigo glanced at him. He had dark red hair and his ears looked vaguely fox-like, rather than a cat like Grimmjow. "You're travelling with that land guard, ain't ya? You his squeeze?"

"Uh, yes. I'm a land guard too." Ichigo said, and the fox man laughed.

"Two land guards together? That ain't the usual thing. Never heard of the Destroyer sending you guys out in pairs. Well, have fun while it lasts." Ichigo would have been offended by that, but he could tell the man didn't mean any harm as he slouched away. Ichigo finished his morning duties and went back to the tent. More people were stirring now, and some, like the snake woman, were already gone. He sat down beside Grimmjow, just watching him sleep for a moment. He looked wonderful, completely relaxed and with an adorable smudge of soot on one pale cheek. The only thing that ruined the vision was the arm thrown around his lover's waist, as the person behind him tried for a bit more body heat. But Grimmjow looked so peaceful, he was willing to let it pass.

It wasn't long, though, before Grimmjow yawned and flicked his ears. He pulled himself up, gently disentangling himself and making the person behind him whine. He glanced outside the now open door, gauging the sun and sharply poked that person in the ribs.

"Ow!" Ichigo winced as a young man with the ears of a bear shot bolt upright. "Fuck you, land guard!"

"Get out of the hut, hibernator." Grimmjow said in a bored tone, and the man snarled before lurching out, muttering something obscene. "Yeah, and your mother too." Grimmjow yawned again, scratching his hair before looking at Ichigo with a smile. "You have a headache?"

"Only a little. Is there any water here? My mouth feels like it's full of cotton." Ichigo responded honestly and Grimmjow laughed, pulling himself to his feet and grabbing his pack.

"A little? You handle that shit pretty well, then. I thought you might have a hangover. Yeah, there should be a stream not too far off if I remember right." Ichigo nodded, grabbing his pack and slinging it over his shoulder. They departed the village and Ichigo glanced back, wondering. Were all the villages in the Inuziri like this? He didn't mind, exactly, but it was very shabby.

"Grimmjow? Are all the villages here like that?" He might as well ask. Grimmjow shook his head.

"No, that place is pretty much the bottom of the barrel. It only exists because of land guards filtering in from the Furioso Selva and Hueco Mundo. Everyone needs a tent, heh. You don't bother with tents in the Furioso, you use netting, but that won't keep out flutterbugs." They reached the stream and Grimmjow eyed the water for a moment. "We better move upstream, I think someone's been doing something he shouldn't." Ichigo took a look at the thick algae and silently agreed. They went up far enough that the growth wasn't quite so luxuriant, then knelt down and put their faces into the water to drink. The water was crisp and cold, and tasted very pure. "Yeah, that did the trick." Grimmjow grunted, pulling himself to his feet and arching, cracking his back. "You ready to go, or would you like some breakfast?" Ichigo thought back to the blackened stew and shuddered.

"I think I'm ready to go." Without the actual need to eat, there was no reason to do so when the food was bad. Grimmjow nodded in agreement, and they both walked back to the village. As they passed through, a few more people congratulated them on their singing and Ichigo blushed, smiling shyly. Grimmjow just joked back, often with a few crudities that made people laugh. Soon enough, they were loping down the road again. Ichigo tried something and discovered that it was more comfortable for him to glide a bit, run a few paces, then glide again. It gave his feet a rest and felt very natural.

"Shit, that's a beautiful thing." Grimmjow said and Ichigo met his eyes, smiling for a moment as he realized the land guard was admiring his new gait. Then Grimmjow turned his attention back to the woods, and Ichigo followed suit.

There was always something ready to kill you in the Inuziri.


	9. Renji and Rukia

Ichigo smiled as they ran beside the river. It was a raging, rapid filled thing that made even the largest rivers in the Lazare look like hapless little trickles. Fish leapt over the rapids, huge silver bodies that were as wild and free as anything in the Inuziri.

They were taking the low road. It was called that because it ran beside the river, and flooded with dreary regularity every spring. But it was high summer now, the low road was clear and very pleasant to run along. The spray from the rapids gently touched them, and the beauty of the river was a constant companion. The low road was faster, too. Grimmjow said they would reach a branch path to a rather nice village before nightfall.

Grimmjow was, of course, correct. They slowed their run to a walk as they came up to the village. This was larger than the first, nearly a town. Instead of wattle huts, the homes here were made of wood harvested from the woods. Log cabins, many of them looked quite comfortable and some even had glass windows. The glass was heavy and bubbled, but still glass.

"Hey, Grimm, do you think we might meet any of your friends here?" Ichigo asked. Grimmjow had said he had some friends in the Desolador Pinar. The land guard shrugged, glancing around.

"Probably not. Most of 'em are probably dead. But you never know, it could happen." They both stalked through the town and Ichigo stopped, staring as he saw something really strange. "What? Oh. That's just a hatchling."

"Uh. Right." Ichigo swallowed hard as the little beast hissed at him. He would never have guessed it was something that would one day become a person. It looked like a cat covered in bone armor, with only a small black nose revealed. Dark green eyes glared at him disdainfully before it flirted a bone tail at him and disappeared between the houses. "I thought they would look a bit more like people." He said in an undertone and Grimmjow grinned.

"Nah, that's what happens when you evolve, you go from being a vicious ball of instincts to a smarter, bipedal version." Grimmjow looked almost nostalgic as he looked after the cat. "That one looked like me, only my eyes were blue of course." Ichigo nodded. "C'mon, let's go see if this place has any smoked salmon." Ichigo laughed as Grimmjow took his hand and guided him through the village. As they got close to the inn, though, Grimmjow suddenly stopped. "Well I will be dipped in shit! Renji! How have you been you ugly bastard?"

"Fuck you too Grimmjow." The man he'd spotted said without any rancor. Ichigo looked at him curiously. His entire face was bare of bone, unlike Grimmjow, who had a headband of it. But instead of that, this man had interesting black tattoos. Ichigo had never seen anything like them. And he was a strange type, too. His ears looked like those of a Lazare, but they were gently furred and he had a long, prehensile bone tail flicking around behind him. "What are you doing back? Finally went howling mad from all the solitude, or just crazed for sex?"

"Hah, I've had more action in the last year than you've had in your life." Grimmjow said with a perverse pride and Ichigo blushed. "Meet my mate, Ichigo. Ichigo, this is Renji, I got to nursemaid his sorry ass through the Hueco Mundo for a few months. It was a real treat, let me tell you."

"You weren't complaining about my ass at the time." Renji said teasingly and Ichigo wondered if they really had been lovers. If so, though, he wasn't jealous. There was clearly nothing between them now, and he was secure in his bonds. "I never thought you would take a real mate, though. He must be something special. Hi Ichigo, nice to meet you." Renji offered him a hand and Ichigo shook it, hearing the strange rattle of bone on bone. "So why are you here? You shouldn't be back for another couple years, should you?"

"Got something important for the scholars." Grimmjow was frowning now, and Ichigo saw his eyes narrow as he looked at Renji. "Come to think of it, what the hell are you doing here? The King usually doesn't send his guards into the Pinar." Renji grimaced and shrugged.

"It's a long story, and I don't want to tell you it here. You mind coming with me?" Grimmjow tilted his head, then nodded, and Ichigo nodded too. He was curious to learn more about Grimmjow's old friend. "Okay, right this way." They walked through the houses, finally ending up behind the inn. There was a moderate sized mound of dirt there, with a woman sitting beside it and leaning against it. Grimmjow stopped dead as he saw it.

"Holy fuck, is that an egg mound? What have you been doing, Renji?" Grimmjow sounded honestly shocked as the woman raised her head. "Rukia! I thought you had a damn sight more sense. Why didn't you go to Hueco?"

"Shut up, Grimmjow." She said tiredly as she shoved herself to her feet. Ichigo looked her over curiously. She was another snake type, with delicate scales on her ears and feet. She had wicked looking fangs, and she wore the first clothing he'd seen so far, a pretty little blue thong. It was a bit stained, though, with things he didn't even want to think about. "Sometimes shit happens and you adapt, that's all."

"Yeah? Well, what happened? The King decided he didn't need your skills as a flute player anymore?" Grimmjow asked and Rukia grimaced. It was Renji who answered.

"The King is now a Queen, so no, flute playing is not in demand." He said harshly and Grimmjow had the grace to flush. "She told Rukia to get out of Los Noches or die, probably because of her brother. So I had to go with her. I am not going to leave my mate and egg to the Pinar." He said fiercely.

"We didn't think we had to go to Mundo. You know they have private egg sands in the palace." Rukia said wearily, sitting back down beside her egg mound. "Things changed overnight and I was too big to make it to Mundo. That's just how it goes."

"Shit, that's rough guys." Grimmjow said sympathetically and Ichigo nodded as he carefully examined Rukia. She looked like she hadn't been eating too well lately. Renji looked fine, but the Destroyer fed him. He was clearly doing his best to keep his mate safe and fed, but not having the best of luck. "The hunting hasn't been good?"

"No. I've been doing odd jobs, but it's hard. We only have a week left though, until it hatches out. Then we'll be done." Renji said cheerfully and Rukia nodded, less cheerful and more resigned. Grimmjow hesitated, stroking one of his ears as he thought.

"We-ell… maybe I could go catch you some fish. I seem to remember you couldn't catch fish to save your life." He said to Renji, who flushed and shook his head.

"No, I can't, and Rukia's just as bad. You mean it? That… could make a huge difference." He said and Grimmjow grinned before nodding.

"Sure, I need to teach Ichigo anyway. He's fresh from Hueco Mundo, doesn't know shit about things like water. Hey, maybe we can even stay to see the hatching. It'll be his first." Ichigo wasn't entirely certain he liked being used as an excuse. He could tell Grimmjow just wanted to stay to help his friends, but couldn't admit it. On the other hand, that was sweet, and he really did want to see a hatching. It would let him know what to expect when he and Grimmjow got around to making their own egg. The past few days, they had confined themselves to oral and non-penetration, due to the risk of becoming seeded. Grimmjow was going to buy them some potions to prevent it, probably in this village.

"If you want to, you would both be welcome." Rukia said gracefully and Ichigo smiled at her. He thought he liked her. Grimmjow nodded and shrugged off his pack.

"Can you guys watch this for me, then? It's got something the scholar's want in it, don't lose it." He warned and Renji nodded, taking the pack. Ichigo also passed over his pack, although the trade goods were less important than the etching.

"I'll guard it like it's my own." Renji pledged, then winced. "And the Destroyer just said if I lose it he'll castrate me." Grimmjow tossed back his head in a laugh and Ichigo smiled.

"That's the boss! We'll be back in a bit." Grimmjow and Ichigo ran back through the village, Grimmjow neatly leaping over a cowering hatchling along the way. Ichigo just dodged it, taking only a glimpse of the little bone covered reptile. It looked after them with wide golden eyes.

They went back to the river, and travelled down it through the woods, keeping a wary eye out for any dangers. There was a bear in the water at the first place they wanted to stop, fishing for his own supper. Ichigo watched as Grimmjow hesitated. Then the bear landed a very fat fish and, seemingly satisfied, left the water.

"Uh… nah. Bastard would probably try to steal our fish when we're done." Was Grimmjow's opinion and Ichigo frowned.

"Bears will do that?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded as they kept going down the river.

"Oh yes. Every predator will steal from another predator if they get a chance. And that was a big fucking bear. If it had been a little bear, I'd have stolen that fish from it." Ichigo blinked, then grinned as he imagined Grimmjow intimidating a bear. He could probably do it.

"You're horrible, that poor bear worked hard for his meal." Ichigo said teasingly. They both leapt over a fallen log. "Ah, this should work right?" They had reached a part where the rapids smoothed out into something they could stand in. As far as Ichigo could see, there was nothing there. Grimmjow took a hard look at the water and nodded.

"Looks good. Fuck!" He snarled as soon as he stepped into the water. Ichigo hissed as he followed.

"This feels like ice!" He'd never imagined the water could be this cold. Grimmjow laughed, wading out into it. Fortunately, with all the rocks they didn't have to go very deep.

"Yep, it's glacial runoff; if you followed this river far enough back you'd see it starts at the mountains and flows into the sea. Now. This isn't salmon season, which is too bad, we'd be guaranteed easy fishin' if it were that time of year. They practically swarm the place. But there's always some kind of fish trying to go lay eggs, so what we have to do is just stand here and look and wait." Grimmjow instructed and Ichigo frowned.

"Will my legs fall off?" He asked skeptically and the land guard grinned.

"Nah, we can take the cold just as well as the heat. Asked the poor bastards stationed up at the Hielo Arena. You'll stop noticing in a minute or two. Now, when you see a fish just do like that bear did and try to grab it." Ichigo nodded, although he was uncertain he would ever catch anything. He flexed his fingers, looking at his raptor claws for a moment. At least he would be able to hold onto what he caught. Grimmjow would have no problem either, with his cat paws.

It did take a lot of patience. But finally Ichigo spotted a movement under the water. His raptor instincts knew what to do, and his hands snapped down without thought. He came up with a struggling fish and cursed softly as it tried to escape, flailing frantically in his grip. But he hung on grimly, then blinked as Grimmjow reached over and tore open the gills.

"That'll bleed it out. Good catch. Pass it over." Ichigo passed it over, a bit mystified, then stared as Grimmjow put the fish in his mouth. He couldn't help but laugh and Grimmjow gave him a questioning look.

"You look like a kitten who just caught a goldfish!" Ichigo said, highly entertained. Grimmjow flicked an ear at him before turning his attention back to the water.

They caught four fish before calling it quits. Four was all they could hold, really, as Ichigo discovered when they caught the second. He ended up having to hold it in his mouth, which was an interesting experience. He would have expected the fish to taste kind of nauseating, but instead it was rather tasty. The scales were hard, so he had to really bite down to hold it. He caught the third, and after a wait Grimmjow managed to catch the fourth. He took the fish out of his mouth then, holding it in one hand with the second in the other.

"Okay. No point in going for more, since we didn't bring any twine to string 'em up. And it's getting late anyway. Let's go." Ichigo nodded, glancing up at the sky. The sun wouldn't be setting immediately but it was definitely going in that direction, and they did not want to be outside when the flutterbugs started moving around. Ichigo had seen the carcass of a deer the bugs had stripped, and it had been impressive, to say the least.

They got back to the mound without any problems. Renji was gone, probably trying to earn some coins, but Rukia took the fish they'd caught gratefully. She began eating one as Grimmjow started a fire.

"Want me to try to cook out the rest of them a bit?" He offered and she looked at them thoughtfully. "It won't be a great preservation job, but they might last the week. Just in case."

"If you could, that would be wonderful." Rukia said. Grimmjow nodded and looked at Ichigo.

"Hey, Ichigo. Could you go buy me some twine? There's a general store in the main drag, you can't miss it." Grimmjow placed a palm on his bone plates and made them vanish, fishing out a silver. "Here. Don't let the fucking thieves charge you more than two copper. And if they have any cheese they'll let go for, mm, less than five copper you can get that too." Ichigo nodded, accepting the coin and feeling touched that Grimmjow would let him run an errand. Admittedly, it probably wasn't too dangerous but it meant that Grimmjow was starting to feel comfortable with his abilities.

Ichigo walked through the village, keeping alert for any dangers. People could be the greatest danger, and he wasn't going to forget that. But there was nothing untoward on his way to the general store, except for some activity in an alleyway that made him blush and look away. It reminded him of what he'd done with Grimmjow the previous night, in their tent. The feel of the land guard's mouth on him was still emblazoned in his mind. Tearing his mind away from that pleasant but distracting recollection, Ichigo walked into the general store. Blinking, he examined the things for sale.

There was more than he had expected. All the essential survival supplies, of course. Tents, netting, fish hooks for real fishing, fishing nets… the list went on and on. Also many things he couldn't name, odd little salves in jars and dried growths. There was food, too, mostly dried meat but also some cheese and even a batch of fresh eggs. Ichigo looked at those, wishing he could get them. He missed eggs, but where would they cook them? Putting aside the thought he looked for the twine. He quickly found a spool of it and looked through the cheeses. He selected a small round of white cheese and brought it up to the counter.

"How much?" He asked and the proprietor, a rather fat man with a racoon like mask on his face, looked over his selections.

"A silver." He said and Ichigo scowled. That was ten coppers, and overpriced.

"No way. Four copper." He shot back and the man scowled. They went back and forth a bit before settling on six coppers. "Thank you." He said as the merchant grumbled and gave him his change. He left the store but didn't get far before a woman stepped in front of him.

"Could you spare some food, sir? I'm so hungry, and my hatchling…" She said pleadingly, glancing at the little form beside her feet. Ichigo blinked at it. Grimmjow had told him that hatchlings usually abandoned their parents immediately, after maybe one meal supplied by the adults. But this little hatchling, a cat with purple eyes, was huddled against the woman's legs. She wasn't a cat type, though. She looked more like a reptile of some sort, but not a snake from the look of her tail.

Ichigo was in a quandary. He wasn't going to give her the cheese. Grimmjow would be angry with him, and rightly so for giving away four coppers worth of food. But… he'd said he had five coppers to spend on the cheese. Ichigo licked his lips before handing her a copper.

"I'm sorry, I need the food, but you can have this." He offered her the bit of money and she took it with quick thanks, quickly vanishing down an alleyway before anyone could think to steal it. The hatchling followed and Ichigo felt a bit sick as he noticed it wasn't moving well, as if there was something wrong with one of its legs. Perhaps that was why it had stayed with its mother. Because it knew it was doomed on its own.

Wishing there was something he could do but knowing it was hopeless, Ichigo sighed and put them out of his mind. He was already doing a little bit to make this world a better place by helping Rukia and Renji. He couldn't help everyone, not if he wanted to stay sane and keep life in his body. Grimmjow was right, you had to take care of yourself first. Ichigo kept telling himself that, and wondered how long it would take before he really believed it.

He completely missed eyes watching him from the shadows, and didn't realize that compassion could be mistaken for weakness.

Reaching the campfire, he gave Grimmjow the twine and watched as the land guard lashed together a little stand over the fire, then began his primitive efforts to smoke the fish. He had to lay green wood on the fire for that and Ichigo coughed as the smoke billowed up and stung his eyes. He moved away, watching as Grimmjow lay out the thinly sliced fish onto the rack. Rukia was watching her mound closely, he noticed. Then he remembered what Grimmjow had said about eggs. That Hueco Mundo was the safest place for them, and even so, half of them were eaten before even hatching. Rukia probably had to watch her mound like a hawk.

"I'm back! I made a few coppers… oh great, fish!" Renji sounded extremely pleased and Rukia smiled as he went to her and gave her a tender, lingering kiss. "Hey, did you guys want to stay with us? We have a nice big tent, we put it over the mound every night."

"Why do you take it down?" Ichigo asked, curious. That seemed like a lot of wasted effort.

"Because I hate to sit in it all day, it smells like something I would wipe my ass with." Rukia said bluntly as Renji turned a bit red and mumbled something about it being the best he could find. Grimmjow coughed.

"Well, I think we'll pass on the ass tent, thanks for offering though." He said with a grin and Renji went a bit redder as Rukia laughed. "We'll be staying at the inn, in the monkey pile. We'll come by every day, but when you feel it about to hatch make sure you call us, hey?"

"Thanks Grimmjow. I really, really appreciate this." Renji said gratefully and Grimmjow clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's nothin'. You really are one of the few people I can call a friend with a straight face. Now, let's work on this fish." It took a while before the fish was at all dried out, and the sun was coming down so they didn't have long enough. Renji bundled up the fish and banked the fire. "Have to finish that tomorrow." Grimmjow muttered and Renji nodded.

"It's a good start though. Goodnight, Grimmjow." He said and Grimmjow nodded, starting back to the inn as Renji and Rukia began setting up their tent to protect themselves and the egg. They paid another copper at the inn, and joined the pile of bodies in the common room. This inn actually had private rooms, but Grimmjow wasn't willing to part with the coin for them, not today anyway. They were both too tired from the day to make love and that was the main point of privacy. Well, that and keeping possessions safe, but between the two of them they could handle that well.

They spent the next few days helping Renji and Rukia by fishing. They also earned a few coins that way, as well, selling the extra fish in the town for a copper or two. Ichigo sneaked the woman he'd spoken to before a small fish and she immediately gave it to her hatchling, making him smile sadly as the little cat devoured it hungrily. He really felt sorry for them.

Maybe it was that feeling that made him stop when she motioned to him from an alleyway. He was on his own, going to fetch some eggs from the general store. He'd mentioned wanting them and Grimmjow had borrowed a pan from the inn, so they were going to cook them over the fire. But the reptile woman was there, and her eyes were wide and afraid. He hesitated before going to her, glancing around.

"Land guard, land guard, p-please help me." She sobbed out, stumbling towards him. Ichigo tensed as he realized her hatchling was missing. "Th-they took my hatchling. I need… need…" Ichigo reached out to her, touching her shoulder as she gripped him and sobbed.

He was taken completely by surprise as she threw something in his face. The white liquid smelled like cleaning fluid and went directly to his head, making his senses dull and his mind go swimming. She was still sobbing as he collapsed, the world going a strange shade of purple as his vision began to fade around the edges.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She was repeating over and over as he descended into darkness.

* * *

Ichigo came to his senses to the sound of Grimmjow cursing.

He tried to move and realized he was tied to a tree. Then he froze as he felt the touch of something cold and sharp at his neck. Moving very carefully he raised his head and blinked, trying to resolve the scene in front of him.

When he did, he swallowed hard. It wasn't good at all. There were at least six men in this small clearing in the woods. They were a bunch of scruffy ruffians, and Ichigo silently prayed they just wanted money. Money was not as precious as their lives.

Grimmjow was pinned to the ground and unmoving, despite his ferocious cursing. For a moment Ichigo wondered why he wasn't using his blue claws or a power blast, then he swallowed as the man behind him gripped his hair and yanked his head back, the knife at his throat raising a thin line of blood. Of course Grimmjow wasn't attacking. A single flick of this man's wrist and he would bleed to death right in front of his mate.

"I'll give you all my money. Just let him go." Grimmjow's voice was ragged and one of the men, the one that seemed to be the leader, laughed.

"That's not what we're after, land guard. Hm. Which one should we play with first?" He mused to himself as Grimmjow cursed helplessly again. "That one seems a bit too tough and stringy. Tie him up, Marni, Jaka." Two of the thugs hastened to obey, pinning Grimmjow to a tree and getting the ropes on him. When he showed a sign of resisting, the man behind him tightened his grip in Ichigo's hair until he let out an involuntary whine. That took all the resistance out of the other land guard and Grimmjow panted, mostly from rage rather than exertion, as they finished tying him up. "Now, seal your power land guard. Do it!" He ordered Grimmjow who looked at Ichigo for a moment. Ichigo shivered at the hopeless rage in those feral blue eyes. Then he obeyed, the bone vanishing away. "Jaka, keep an eye on him, if he unseals yell. Marni, get your knife out." Ichigo blinked at that and tensed. What were they…? Then he flinched as a knife was casually drawn over Grimmjow's ribs, raising a grunt from the land guard. "Just put it at his throat. Now, Darko, untie that little bitch. These two seem to be pretty bonded, I think he'll do what we say." There was a snigger from someone and Ichigo shivered as the hand in his hair vanished and that person worked on his bonds. He stumbled as he was shoved forward towards them. The leader smiled, his eyes dark and full of pleased dominance. "Now, seal your power, bitch."

"My name is Ichigo." He snapped then flinched as the man by Grimmjow gripped his hair, yanking his head back until he was straining and in pain. The knife drew a small bead of blood on the pale, exposed throat. Ichigo hastened to obey, sealing away his power. Grimmjow had shown him how to do that, a brief lesson, because he would need to know in Los Noches. They hadn't thought he'd need it before then. He almost cringed as the leader looked over his body with obvious lust.

"Golden wings and pin feathers on your body, I've never seen anything like it." The leader said and Ichigo felt sick as they all looked at him, raping him with their eyes. He'd never felt so helpless. "You look like a Lazare, little eagle. Now, on your knees." Ichigo nodded, breathing rapidly, then flinched as Grimmjow suddenly spoke.

"Don't do it! They're gonna kill us both anyway. Don't let them do that to you!" Grimmjow said urgently but Ichigo shook his head.

"By that logic, you shouldn't have surrendered." He said softly and saw the helpless pain on Grimmjow's face. He knew why Grimmjow had surrendered. Because he couldn't watch Ichigo die in front of him, not without doing everything he could to stop it. The fact that they would probably both die after being violated didn't matter. For now, they were alive, and there was still some hope. Ichigo fell to his knees and winced as the bone on the man's privates vanished. A hard hand gripped his hair and yanked his head up.

"Suck, bitch. And if you bite he dies." The leader said and Ichigo almost gagged at the thought. The hand tightened and he whined but began to obediently –

Everyone was shocked as the man beside Grimmjow suddenly screamed, the knife knocked away from the blue haired land guard's throat. Ichigo yanked himself away violently, losing a fistful of hair as the leader swore and tried to swipe at him. Frantically unsealing his power, he caught sight of familiar, spiky red hair as wild whoops rose up around him. The group attacking was smaller than the group of thugs, but they had the advantage of surprise and their opponents soon broke, fleeing into the woods. The living ones, at least. At least half of them were dead, including the leader, and Ichigo finished releasing his power as Renji stood over him with a wide grin. His weapon, a huge and odd looking sword, was dripping with blood.

"You okay? Nice bald spot there." Ichigo reached up and winced as he touched his tender head. But that didn't matter. He looked over to Grimmjow and saw, to his relief, that his lover was fine and still unsealing his powers. Unfortunately, releasing the powers took even longer than sealing them. Someone, a woman he'd never seen before, was working on his ropes. "Hey, Grimmjow! The Destroyer didn't catch Ichigo getting taken, but he saw you getting into trouble, so he told me to get my ass in gear. I picked up shark face and her band of cutthroats at the bar for backup. You owe them two silvers, I hope you don't mind."

"Mind? Mind? Are you fucking insane? If you weren't mated and I weren't mated I'd fucking kiss you!" Grimmjow said. There was a laugh from the new group of ruffians. Ichigo glanced them over and blinked as he saw their leader. She was a pretty woman with long, golden hair, green eyes and a smile that revealed pointed teeth. It was easy to see where she'd gotten the nickname shark face. Her followers were all women, too, and he felt a bit of relief at the sight. "And if Harribel wasn't gay as hell, I'd kiss her too!"

"Keep your lips away from me. But your money is welcome." Harribel said, holding out a hand and grinning as Grimmjow fished through the ground, finding the discarded coins he'd had hidden under his armor and handing them over. "Hm? That's three."

"A bonus. Thanks, Harribel, we are incredibly grateful." Grimmjow said and her smile widened.

"Words are worthless, but money talks. Thank you Grimmjow." She glanced around and Ichigo wondered about something.

"Are we going to loot the bodies?" He asked as he pulled himself to his feet. They all glanced at him and one of the other woman, a beautiful girl with long brown hair, groaned.

"Kid! Why did you have to say that? Do you know how much work that is?" She asked as Ichigo blinked. He really had no idea. Harribel laughed.

"And are we allergic to work? Chop chop, my dears. Soonest started is soonest done." She chivvied her group of followers along, and they began breaking the bone armor of the fallen. Ichigo swallowed hard then blinked as Grimmjow touched his shoulder.

"Here, let's show you how to do this. You're right, you should always search the bodies, but it's not easy." They bend down over a body and with Renji's help, Ichigo learned how to pry open bone plates. It was an ugly, messy process but they did find five coppers on the body. Pooling the money together with what Harribel and her women had found, they came to thirteen coppers. "We don't need any, just give Renji a share." Grimmjow said and Harribel grinned, showing those shark teeth again.

"Suits me. Three for you Renji?" She said and the redhead nodded gratefully. "Here you go. Well, that was profitable and no one we care about died or was even hurt. Next time you need help, feel free to look me up."

"We will. Thank you again, Harribel." Renji said and Grimmjow nodded. The blonde woman laughed before turning to her women and telling them they were going back to the bar to celebrate. They cleared out quickly then, and Ichigo leaned against Grimmjow, utterly relieved. The land guard put an arm around him, cuddling him close. "Ichigo, what happened?" Renji asked, concerned, and Ichigo grimaced. He felt like an idiot.

"It was this woman…" He explained how he'd first met her, how he'd given her the copper and the fish, and the way he'd been repaid. Grimmjow growled and Ichigo bit his lip. "Her hatchling wasn't with her. Do you think they were threatening it?"

"Probably. But I'll still nail that bitch to the wall." Grimmjow spat out and Ichigo winced. He hoped the woman had left town. If not, Grimmjow's revenge might get ugly. And as sorry for the woman as Ichigo felt, he couldn't blame the land guard a bit.

Things could have gone so much worse.


	10. Los Noches

Author's note: I honestly can't believe how much sex there is in this fic. I hope the scenes are good, that's always been my weak point!

"Oooh." Ichigo watched, fascinated, as the egg rocked harder and harder.

It had been almost a week and Rukia's and Renji's egg was finally hatching. Ichigo watched, fascinated, as the tough skin of the egg developed a hairline crack. This was the first time he'd actually seen the egg. Until now, Rukia had kept it buried in the mound, never removing it at all. But for the hatching she'd cleared the dirt away. Apparently, most hatchlings had to dig their way out of the mound but she saw no reason to force their offspring to do that.

The skin of the egg was a pale, opalescent color but the interesting part was the patterns on it. It was decorated with swirling patterns of gold, and Ichigo wanted to reach out and touch them. But he held back. Renji was speaking to the egg as Rukia crooned.

"Hey there, little one. You can do it. Just a bit more." He gently encouraged as the movement in the egg stopped for a moment. Then the egg began rocking more violently as the hatchling within redoubled its efforts. "That's it!" Part of the shell popped away and a tiny nose stuck out, a snake like tongue flicking as it tasted the air for the first time. "I think we have a snake, Rukia."

"Good, that will be better suited to the Pinar than a monkey." Rukia said with a smile and Ichigo blinked. What was a monkey? Then his attention was pulled from that mystery as the egg began to really shatter and the body inside oozed out.

It was definitely a snake. Big and healthy, it was the size of a small python. The hatchling seemed dazed for a moment, blinking red brown eyes that reminded Ichigo of Renji. Then it realized it was surrounded by adults and hissed. But that hiss turned into a warble of surprise as Renji offered it a piece of fish. The snake grabbed it, swallowing it greedily, then paused to lick Renji's hands. Rukia offered the next piece and got the same treatment.

"He knows us." She sounded almost ready to cry, and Renji smiled sadly, putting an arm around her shoulders. They both looked at their offspring for a moment and the snake looked back. But then it slithered away, disappearing in the brush. "Oh." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. Ichigo swallowed hard, imagining the pain she was feeling. Would he be able to let his child go, when the time came? Then he felt Grimmjow's arm around him, cuddling him close as they watched the young lovers hold each other.

"It's better this way. We have to go to the Furioso Selva anyway, we can't take him along." Renji said, gently, and Rukia nodded but couldn't stop her sniffles. "Rukia, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's the way of the world, is all. He has the best chance we can give him." She said, lifting her head and giving her mate a smile. Then she turned that smile to Grimmjow and Ichigo. "Thank you again. You made this last week much easier." Grimmjow nodded and Ichigo matched her smile with his own.

"It was our pleasure." Grimmjow said as Ichigo picked up a few pieces of the broken egg. To his surprise and disappointment, the golden pattern was gone and the egg had turned to a pale, lifeless grey. "Good luck in the Selva, but we really need to get going to Los Noches." Now was the time for partings. Renji nodded and gave Grimmjow a hand clasp as Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a hug.

"Hey, I was wondering." Ichigo decided to ask before he forgot. He'd already forgotten a few times. "What happened to the King?" He could tell Renji was pretty powerful, although not quite on Grimmjow's level. Presumably, the King had had plenty of competent guards. Rukia laughed as Renji gave a snort of disgust.

"One of his flute players had a poison built into her fanny. How were we supposed to protect him from THAT?" Renji sounded utterly disgruntled and Grimmjow let out a roar of laughter before clapping him on the shoulder.

"Appropriate! Well, see you guys again someday." And that was that. Rukia and Renji loped away, going the opposite direction from Grimmjow and Ichigo. They took to the low road again and ran. Ichigo was finding it easy now, to scan the forest as his feet and wings moved. He almost felt like he'd been doing this all his life.

Nightfall came with no villages, and they set up the tent. Ichigo grimaced as he swallowed the herbal concoction they'd bought at the villages. It tasted like skunk weed and alcohol, but apparently it was supposed to suppress their fertility. It wasn't foolproof, but it did do a good job if it was taken consistently, and he and Grimmjow had both been taking it for days.

Ichigo sighed as he felt warm lips on his throat, and relaxed against Grimmjow as the land guard embraced him from behind. Grimmjow's claws teased his bone armor, and for a moment Ichigo wished he dared seal his power. But maybe he could?

"Grimmjow? Can I seal my power tonight?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow hesitated a moment. Ichigo could imagine what he was thinking. They were both even more paranoid about threats now, and they had been paranoid before.

"Yeah, should be fine." As long as only one of them sealed, they'd be okay if a bear happened to decide the tent looked tasty. Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment and shivered slightly as the bone armor vanished, replaced with soft skin. He understood why Grimmjow didn't like this, now. It felt so vulnerable. But he wanted to be vulnerable with Grimmjow.

Grimmjow flexed his hands and Ichigo smiled as the claws went flush to his skin. Then he moaned as those black hands slid over him, finding his pin feathers and gently teasing them with the lightest flicks. That was a new trick, and he squirmed as Grimmjow found a ticklish spot. Then the land ward licked his throat and any concern about pin feathers went out the window as one hand slid down his navel, tracing circles over soft skin.

"Grimmjow…" Ichigo moaned, reaching behind him and resting a hand on a bone covered hip. He heard Grimmjow's breath hitch at the need in his voice, and then a hand was on his erection, giving him slow, steady strokes. "Ah." He gasped as Grimmjow licked his fingers for a bit more lubrication, then went back to his stroking.

"You are always so damn sexy like this." Grimmjow's voice was drenched in lust. Ichigo closed his eyes, preparing himself for penetration as the land guard kept gently stimulating him with one hand. The other was teasing his pin feathers again, a combination that had him whimpering. He could feel Grimmjow's hardness pressed against his back. "I want to take you."

"Please." Ichigo whispered, vaguely wishing they could bring out the cuffs again. But he'd already suggested that and been firmly vetoed. Grimmjow wanted a private room with a locked and barred door for that kind of play, and preferably without any windows. Nothing that someone could use to ambush them when one was helpless. Then Grimmjow lifted him up and Ichigo gasped at the sudden sensation of being filled. "Mmm, Grimmjow!" The land guard behind him was sitting, with Ichigo in his lap. A different position but one that worked, and made it very easy to get a deep penetration. Ichigo discovered that as Grimmjow moved, rubbing against his pleasure spot effortlessly. "Ah!"

The sex was slow, though, slow and leisurely. They were both tired from the long day running, and Grimmjow didn't seem inclined to go any faster. Ichigo's eyes were half-closed with bliss as he gave himself over to that slow, steady pace, savoring the feel of their bodies flexing against each other, the friction of bone on skin. It was glorious, it was wonderful and he wanted it to go on forever.

But nature had other ideas, and Ichigo whimpered softly as Grimmjow's thrusts speeded up, the heat building between them to a natural climax. There wasn't much of Grimmjow that he could really touch in this position, but the other land guard made up for it, running a hand over Ichigo's stomach and chest as the other hand pumped him in time with their bodies. Ichigo dug his fingers into Grimmjow's hips again, a moan of pure bliss escaping his lips as the fire in his loins reached a peak. He found his release only a moment before Grimmjow and he heard the land guard gasp out his name as his body was filled with warmth. Then Grimmjow kissed him gently on the cheek and Ichigo sighed as he sat up, pulling away and looking down at himself. He was a mess now, but he wasn't sure how to clean off. Perhaps some leaves…? He was surprised when Grimmjow pulled him down and began to lick him off, cleaning him with firm strokes of his warm tongue.

"Thanks Grimmjow." He whispered, feeling incredibly content. He was warm and safe and his mate was taking care of him. Grimmjow lifted his head for a moment, smiling.

"It's nothin'." Then he went back to his self-appointed task. Ichigo waited until he was done to unseal his powers. When the bone armor was back, he sighed and curled up beside his land guard lover. Safe and warm and content, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ichigo whistled to himself as they ran.

It felt like they'd been running forever. He appreciated that song of Grimmjow's more, now. Truly, the land guards ran to the ends of the earth.

Actually, they had been steadily crossing the Pinar for a solid month. Ichigo had had no idea how huge the forest was, but apparently it was absolutely gargantuan. And Grimmjow told him that the other forests were just as big, or bigger. Los Noches was the smallest area but Hueco Mundo and Hielo Arena were both even bigger than the forests. And then there was the ocean, which surrounded everything until it melted into the mist between the worlds.

Ichigo wasn't sure what to think of the difference, but he knew one thing for certain. The Lazare was only a fraction the size of the Inuziri. Now he understood how the two worlds could support the same population. The Inuziri had a tremendous expanse of area to support them, which had to help with the starvation considerably. Of course, two major areas, the Mundo and Hielo, were largely useless. And the ocean was particularly dangerous, with monstrous creatures that could bite a sailing ship in two, so real fishing could be problematic. That left only the three forests and Los Noches, but that was still a lot of space.

The ground was finally changing, though. The pines were giving away to poplars and grasslands, tiny plantings of trees surrounded by wild, untamed grass. As they reached a stone pillar with a sign, Grimmjow pulled to a stop. Ichigo followed, looking at the sign and quite grateful that there was no dead body attached to it.

_Los Noches_ was all it said and Ichigo smiled as they realized they were reaching their goal. And he gave all his attention to Grimmjow as he realized it was time for another lesson.

"Okay, Los Noches." Grimmjow looked at the grass and shook his head. "The first danger is simple, and pretty brutal. Fire. Be VERY careful with the campfires. If a fire gets out of control here, it can raze the whole place. The King… Queen now… has some special protections up on the city to keep the fire away when it happens, but you don't want it to happen. Got it?" Ichigo nodded. His part of the Lazare didn't raise wheat, but he was aware of the danger fire posed in grasslands. "Next danger is the trapdoor spiders. I'll show you one when I spot them, but they can be damned hard to spot and they can and will eat you." Grimmjow said and Ichigo swallowed. That sounded nasty. "Third danger is the buffalo. They're herbivores but they are nasty as hell, and they can and will attack. If we see them, we'll stay away and hopefully they won't get all territorial on us." Grimmjow rubbed his arm, scowling. "I almost lost an arm once… anyway. There's also some really huge birds that can attack, so remember to look up. It's hard to spot 'em coming but the can be nasty as fuck. Any questions?"

"Yes, are there any animals in this world that are actually harmless?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow had to think about it a while.

"The fish in the rivers. Uh… mostly. And some of the deer." He finally said and Ichigo laughed, shaking his head. He'd meant that as a joke. "Sorry, it's a fucked up sort of place."

"I get it. Let's get going." Ichigo kept looking around, this time adding more glances upward at the sky. Grimmjow had already made the change. He wondered when they would reach the city. Despite how Grimmjow had described it, he was looking forward to seeing the city of Los Noches.

But first, they had to get there, and that was going to take a while. Los Noches was the smallest part, but they still wouldn't reach the capital for at least a week. A bird tried to buzz them, but Grimmjow shot his blue claws at it and it veered away, intimidated enough to go bother someone else. Several hours before nightfall, they found a village and Grimmjow called a halt.

"We could keep going, there's no reason not to run at night here, but…" Grimmjow smiled slowly and Ichigo shivered at the look on his face. "I think we can afford a private room, and I know this place, they've got some good ones. You interested?"

"I am so interested." Ichigo said, putting heat into his voice. "Did you want to use the cuffs on me?" He still hadn't gotten his turn to be chained and blindfolded, and he was very much looking forward to it. Grimmjow went still for a moment, then Ichigo found himself enfolded in strong arms and given a deep, searching kiss.

"I can't wait to see you helpless and writhing beneath me." Ichigo shivered, hard, at that warm whisper in his ear. Then Grimmjow gently kissed his ear, running his tongue along the soft feathers on the upper edge of his flexible ears.

"Nngh. Keep that up and we won't make it to the room." Ichigo said and Grimmjow laughed, letting him go.

"That would be sad as hell, we'd have to forget about the cuffs. Well, let's go then." They quickly ran through the town and arrived at the inn. It was a pretty decent place, made from wood taken from the Pinar. Unfortunately, someone there recognized them.

"Grimmjow!" They both flinched and Ichigo's eyes went wide as he saw the strangest Inuziri to ever cross his path. "Honeylove, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but if you call me that one more time you won't be, you fucking flute player." Grimmjow snapped as the man across from him laughed. Ichigo stared, then stared some more.

The stranger had long, purple hair. That was nothing unusual but instead of being an untamed mess like Grimmjow's and Ichigo's, hair that was lucky to get washed and combed, his was long and wavy and clearly very carefully tended. His eyes were ice blue, his lips were large and glossy. Everything about his face and body were large and masculine, but everything about his demeanor was very… feminine. Ichigo had never seen anything like it. And he wasn't sure he wanted to see it ever again. Glancing at his feet and ears, he could tell the stranger was another cat type. That seemed to be a rather common form. The stranger laughed and got so close to them that Ichigo twitched and Grimmjow backed up with a snarl.

"Oh Grimmjow, honeykins, you know you missed me. Who is this?" Bright blue eyes looked at him and Ichigo was speechless at the next words. "I can tell he's been struck dumb by my loveliness!"

"Ahaha… yeah, that's it." Grimmjow's tone was dry as dust. "Ichigo, this… thing is named Charlotte. We're not friends." The man across from them pouted and leaned closer, then jerked back as Grimmjow took a swipe at him. "And stop invading my space, you asshole!"

"But, Grimmjow, you know I'm only doing it because I love you." The man pouted and Grimmjow gave a very cat like hiss.

"Even if I wasn't mated, which I am, I wouldn't touch you. Now where's the rest of your merry band of psychopaths? Off setting fires and killing kittens?" Grimmjow asked, but Ichigo could tell he wasn't serious, which was rather a relief. Charlotte rolled his eyes.

"Well, since Barragan was killed by that little witch we haven't had much else to do. We were so lucky though! Findorr managed to grab us a little something out of the treasury before we all got the boot. She couldn't trust us, can't blame her really, Abirama has NO sense and was going on about how he would scalp her. So sad… I actually wouldn't have minded serving her, Barragan was adorable but she has fashion sense… oh, where was I? Oh yes! The others are off hunting down the fixings for a cookout. Literally, heh, five should be enough to catch a buffalo don't you think? Are you down for some food Grimmjow?"

"What's in it for you?" Grimmjow said warily, eyes narrowing as Charlotte laughed again.

"Well, we _would_ accept carnal favors, but I can see you're rather _stuffy… _hey, calm down!" He dodged another swipe, raising his hands peacefully. "Just bring some alcohol, Grimmy. We have money but we want to make it last, you know?" Grimmjow considered and glanced at Ichigo.

"What do you think?" He asked softly. "These bastards can be a bit of a blast, even if they are weirder than fuck." Ichigo considered it for a moment. He'd really enjoyed that first campfire, and there hadn't been much like it since.

"As long as you think they're trustworthy." That could be a bit of a problem. Could they trust any of these people? Grimmjow nodded.

"They're all land guards. Normally I wouldn't trust them if they told me the sun was coming up in the East, but the boss will tell them to take good care of us. Right boss?" Grimmjow asked and they heard the Destroyer grumble.

_Oh, I suppose. I can't trust them with your etchings, although it would be entertaining if you woke up with all their names tattooed around your anus._ Ichigo choked at that and sent a mental slap at the Destroyer. _Hey!_ Their ultimate power sounded mildly offended, but Ichigo only smiled. The Destroyer was far more approachable than the Creator.

So instead of going directly to the sex, which could wait, they got some liquor and helped Charlotte set up a really good fire. Mindful of the danger of fire, they removed all the turf and sod around it and were careful not to build it up too high. Then there was a whoop and they all looked up as the hunting party arrived.

A huge bull buffalo was being carried by four big men, with a smaller fifth man riding on top. He caught sight of them and waved as Ichigo looked them over. The small man on top was a cat type, with a rather unusual headgear of bone that looked like a saber toothed cat. To his surprise, one of them men carrying the buffalo was clearly another eagle type, with bone wings rattling behind him. The others were a large man with sad eyes who seemed to be a snake type, a huge man who was clearly a bear type, and a slender man that Ichigo couldn't be sure about. He thought he might be a reptile, and he had remarkable, flowing gold hair. They dumped the corpse of the buffalo on the ground, nearly unseating their smaller friend.

"We have returned victorious!" The eagle man roared and Ichigo couldn't help but laugh. Then he stopped as the other man turned a very bad tempered scowl on him. "Who the hell is this?"

"He's my mate, so fuck off and die Abirama." Grimmjow said easily, taking an aggressive posture. Ichigo could feel the power of both men and knew that the eagle was badly outmatched. Abirama knew it too, and just grumbled while flexing his hands. "Impressive. That thing must weigh a thousand pounds." That soothed the eagle a bit. "You guys need help butchering it?"

"Nah, we've got this." The small cat man said with a smile as he tore open the buffalo with his claws. All of them working together made short work of the carcass, although they were careful to keep the skin intact, and as soon as it was off the reptile bundled it over one arm and ran it off somewhere. "But why exactly are we feeding you?" The man asked curiously.

"Because you like drinking, Ggio." Ichigo made a note of the name as Grimmjow brought out the alcohol, to everyone's approval. "This is my mate, Ichigo. Hey, can all you dumbasses introduce yourselves? I'd do it but I can't tell you apart anymore."

"How sweet, but we'll forgive you. All that time in the Mundo has probably fried your brains." The small man said in a, well, cattish tone. Then he smiled and pointed to his friends. "The red eagle is Abirama. The snake is Poww, the bear is Nirgge and the guy off getting that hide tanned is Findorr. We used to be Baraggan's fraccion, until he got frisky with the wrong joy girl. Right now, we're hanging around waiting for redeployment. It looks like we're going to be split up." He said cheerfully as Findorr returned.

"It is such a shame to be separated from my valiant comrades." Abirama sounded almost tearful. "I will miss you all."

"I won't." Ggio said, making the others laugh. They were clearly used to his attitude. "Now, how are we roasting this?" They finally decided to just cut the meat into small pieces, then put them on individual skewers. The rest of the carcass would be buried in the coals to roast all night for the next day. "We'll lose some of it to thieves, but whatever, it's not like we need to eat anyway." Ggio said with a sniff as Ichigo tried the alcohol. It was just as potent as last time, but with a slightly different aftertaste that reminded him of sage.

"Nice stuff, Grimm kitty." Charlotte said, sipping the alcohol and making the blue haired land guard growl. Ichigo wondered how many nick names he had for him. "Here, take a silver for our share."

"Thanks." Grimmjow accepted the coin with something close to grace, putting it away with the others. They still had trade goods, but they still did their best to conserve money whenever they could. "So, Abirama, tell us one of your fucked up stories." There was a laugh and then the eagle rumbled.

"When the land was new and the two worlds were one…" Ichigo listened, enchanted, to the fanciful story about a spirit name Coyote and all the crazy things he got up to. He held his skewer over the fire, watching the meat sizzle as the man talked. Abirama was a good storyteller, with a rolling voice that carried very well. But…

"Do you mind if I tell a story?" Ichigo asked when the Coyote story was finished. He knew plenty of Lazare stories, things they had probably never heard, although he would have to be careful not to make the origins too obvious. There was a chorus of approval for the idea and Ichigo threw himself into it. "Long, long ago and far away, when there were two moons in the sky…" Ichigo didn't think they would recognize that. It was the traditional opener for a Lazare fairy tale. "There was a beautiful princess…" Ichigo told them the story of the Princess and the Huntsman, and he used the grimmest version, playing up the gore. The Lazare usually went for the more genteel versions but he knew his audience.

"Nice. I've never heard that one." Findorr said as he finished and Ichigo smiled. "The ending seems a little unbelievable, though."

"Compared to what? If Abirama's story were realistic, Coyote wouldn't have saved anyone, the first people would have been some huge poops." Grimmjow said and everyone laughed as the eagle bristled before taking a long swig of alcohol. "Hey, don't overdo it, we all know what happens when you get drunk."

"You're nearly as bad. But I admit, you're not quite as bad." Ggio said, stealing the bottle from Abirama. "Now, who's next?"

"I will do… an interpretive dance!" Charlotte leapt to his feet and everyone groaned. Ichigo stared as the dance started then yelped as Grimmjow placed a hand over his eyes.

"Don't watch, it will scar you forever." He said and Ichigo growled, reaching up to yank his hand away.

"I'm not some delicate flower – uh." He stopped in horror. Somehow, Charlotte had made most of his bone armor vanish except for a bit on his chest and a very bulging bit on his crotch. "I… uh…" The little pink wings of pink power he'd put around his waist did not help at all. Nor did the rather large amount of pubic hair. "Argh!" He lay back in the dirt as the others laughed. "My eyes! Grimmjow, my eyes!" Grimmjow's chuckle was warm and deep as the land guard lay down beside him, cuddling him gently.

"I tried to warn you. Why don't we leave the party? Things are starting to get a bit randy around here." Ichigo followed Grimmjow's gaze and saw that Findorr and Poww were starting to make out. Ggio and Nirgge had found a woman to invite to the fire and were filling her with bison, while Abirama was watching Charlotte with something like enjoyment. Ichigo shuddered a little at the thought. This was all a bit too weird for him. Grimmjow took a half-full bottle with him when they left, and no one objected. "Thanks for the time guys, I'm going to go get laid." Grimmjow shot over his shoulder and there was a few laughs.

"Have fun loveydove!" Charlotte shouted and Grimmjow's shoulder's hunched in annoyance as Ichigo giggled softly. Loveydove? Grimmjow?

"I swear, I should have killed that asshole years ago…" Grimmjow growled as he paid for a room at the inn. The innkeeper was very glad to see their coins this late in the day, and they got a pretty decent rate on the private room.

"It was a good party though, right until the end." Ichigo tried to cheer him up. Grimmjow just gave him a feral grin.

"Even that last bit was funny, Charlotte is such a damned freak. Here we go." Grimmjow found the right room and opened the lock with his key. Ichigo looked around as they stepped inside, slightly disappointed. The room was tiny, almost a closet, and there were no furnishings but a mat on the floor. Although, the mat seemed to be filled with something nice. Grimmjow put a hand on it and made a hum of satisfaction. "Bird down. Not bad." As he was putting their gear in the corner, Ichigo locked and then barred the door. There were heavy brackets on either side of the door to hold the bar, so even if someone picked the lock it would do no good. The only way to get in would be to batter the door down, and it was a good solid door. It could be done, but they would have plenty of warning. "Here we go." Grimmjow pulled out the cuffs and Ichigo drew a deep breath, feeling a great deal of anticipation. Although…

"There's no bed to cuff me to." That was a bit vexing. The mat had no good places to put the cuffs. "Hm." Grimmjow looked at the cuffs and shortened the links between them. They were adjustable.

"Cuff your hands behind you, then." He suggested and Ichigo smiled, seeing the possibilities in that. It might be a little uncomfortable but also sexy as hell. Ichigo sealed his power again and knelt down on the mat, letting Grimmjow cuff him. Then a blindfold slid over his face and Ichigo felt a tremor run down his spine as claws brushed his throat. Grimmjow was right, this was very vulnerable, but that only made his anticipation sharper. At Grimmjow's gentle shove he lay down on his stomach, and wondered what the land guard would do.

_What is he going to touch first?_ Ichigo trembled in anticipation as he felt Grimmjow's hot breath on his thighs, gently teasing him with warmth. _I just hope he doesn't lick my toes. I know where they've been lately. _He'd stepped in a bear turd just a few days ago and had to scrape it off on some leaves. Not sexy. Then his mind was pulled out of silly thoughts as warm hands dug into his shoulders.

"Mmm, Grimmjow? Oh!" A soft moan was pulled out of his mouth as fingers probed him, finding the sorest spots and working out his tension. There was a soft, wet sound and he felt something cold on his skin. "Unh, what's that?" It felt nice, though, as Grimmjow's hands warmed it and rubbed it into him as he gave him a deep, thorough massage, paying special attention to the place where his wings joined his body.

"Some rock oil, got it off the innkeeper." He breathed and Ichigo vaguely wondered how he'd missed that. Then Grimmow's hands found a particularly painful spot and he arched for a moment until the deep, hard strokes brought him relief. Ichigo panted softly as Grimmjow made his way down, massaging his thighs and then his calves before ending on his feet. The foot massage was delicious and Ichigo completely lost track of anything else but the touch of his lover on his body.

But Grimmjow hadn't forgotten that Ichigo was cuffed and blindfolded. When the massage was done he slipped away, making Ichigo whine with anticipation. Ichigo waited, then gasped as a hot mouth suddenly descended on his throat. Sharp fangs nibbled his skin and Ichigo arched into the pain, moaning softly as Grimmjow sampled his blood. It felt so good, yet so terrifying, knowing that a single flick of those fangs could open his throat and there was nothing at all he could do about it.

But he trusted Grimmjow not to do that, and that trust would never be broken. Leaving his abused throat, Grimmjow tugged him onto his back and gave him a deep, full kiss. Ichigo moaned softly as his legs were spread and warm hands began to fondle him, the oil still on those fingers making every touch lovely and frictionless. He gasped as Grimmjow cupped his balls in one hand, gently bouncing them and sending a jolt of pleasure through his body. Then he closed his eyes behind the blindfold as he felt warm breath on his erection. It was followed quickly by wet heat, enfolding his cock in the most pleasant way.

"Nnngh, Grimmjow!" Ichigo panted out as the land guard repaid him for the time he had been cuffed, and explored his throbbing member with his tongue. The pleasure was almost unbearable and Ichigo quivered, hearing his wings shaking as they spread out across the floor. He could hear the feathers rasping across the wooden floor, and moaned again as Grimmjow sucked him hard, giving him more pleasure by the minute. "Grimmjow!" His body was quickly building to a peak, but the land guard didn't seem to care, just lashing him with his tongue and taking him even deeper into a hot, tight throat. "I'm going to… to…" Ichigo panted out then arched with a cry as the pleasure overwhelmed him. He tensed, feeling the trembling spurts of his release. Grimmjow swallowed everything before pulling away, and Ichigo could hear his harsh breathing. He sounded like he'd been running for hours.

"Damn, Ichigo, I want to take you right now." That heavy, desire filled tone brought the life back to his loins and Ichigo moaned as he felt himself already starting to get hard again. "Here, let me help." Grimmjow chuckled and warm hands found him again, toying with the insides of his thighs, his balls and then his cock. Ichigo mentally prepared himself, feeling his body almost oozing with lubrication, he wanted this so badly.

There was no warning, just complete domination as Grimmjow took him in one fluid move. Ichigo gasped, more from surprise than pain as his body was abruptly filled. Sparks danced in front of his blind eyes as Grimmjow set a fast, punishing pace. His back pressed down heavily on the mat, and his feathers rattled in time with every thrust. Grimmjow's growls sent jolts of pleasure down his spine, making the former land warden gasp in pleasure. He wanted nothing more than to be fucked hard, fast, and that was what his mate was giving to him.

Bodies moved together, following a rhythm as old as time as they both gave themselves over to the mating instinct. Grimmjow's claws raised marks on Ichigo's shoulders, and even blindfolded and cuffed, the eagle managed to sink his teeth into Grimmjow's shoulder. He tasted blood and savored it, letting go only when Grimmjow found his prostate again. Ichigo let out a cry that sounded shockingly like an eagle's scream, and Grimmjow howled back like a cat in heat. Neither of them cared that everyone in the inn could probably hear them. All they wanted was their pleasure, their completion.

They found it not long after, bodies, hearts and souls meshed together to the point that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Ichigo cried out again as the pleasure rose to dizzying heights, then reached a crest of glory. Grimmjow's fangs pierced his skin as the land guard bit his shoulder and Ichigo arched into the pain as he released, covering them both with his come. Then he gasped as he felt Grimmjow tense and shudder, the cock inside him throbbing hard as the land guard filled him with heat and life.

Then it was over, and they both stayed together for a moment, trembling and covered in sweat and semen. Ichigo sighed as Grimmjow flicked away the blindfold and met sated, feral blue eyes. Their lips met in a tender, lingering kiss before the blue haired man finally pulled away.

"Ungh, sticky again." Ichigo sighed but Grimmjow laughed, picking up something from beside the bed. "Hm?"

"We have a rag. Don't ask where it's been, you'd probably scream if you knew." Ichigo smiled and let Grimmjow tend to him, then pulled on the cuffs.

"Can you get these off?" He asked and Grimmjow dropped the rag for a moment in favor of removing the cuffs. Ichigo sighed and rubbed his wrists as Grimmjow finished cleaning him off, then started on himself. As he worked, Ichigo unsealed his powers again. As beautiful as it was to be vulnerable with Grimmjow, he didn't trust anyone else.

This was the Inuziri, after all.


	11. Spiders and The City

"Grimmjow, I was wondering." Ichigo said as they ran, hair dragging to the side. The plains were full of wind, which was fine as long as it came from the sides or in front. When it came from behind them, though, their hair could be a real nuisance, blowing over their faces at the worst possible times. "Can you tell me about the power structure here?" Grimmjow hadn't mentioned it, either because he hadn't thought of it or because he disliked the topic. Given his feelings about authority, Ichigo was certain it was the latter.

"Oh, sure." Grimmjow said, leaping over a hole in the road. "So, lowest rung on the ladder is us, the land guards. You know all about that. Next rung up is the Flux. They're wandering agents of the Destroyer and the Queen, no set areas. I think you'd say they're like Dominions. We don't have anything like Lazare land wardens, which is why the Destroyer made you a land guard. Easier to go down than go up." Ichigo nodded. "What we call land wardens are fixed defenses, mostly maintained by the Powers. Powers are the highest rung of the ladder. They have a set area, and each one has a fraccion. A fraccion is a group of land guards, usually on the lower end of the power spectrum." That made Ichigo blink. "The Destroyer makes sure the really good guards get posted to the Mundo or Hielo, you see. Powers are the ones who can aspire to become King or Queen. Remember shark face, Harribel? She used to be a Power."

"What?" Ichigo blinked. He remembered her and the feel of her power. She'd felt roughly on the level of a land guard, although no one had said she was one. "What happened to her?" Grimmjow shrugged.

"Just life. She decided she was tired of the job and asked for a leave of absence. She couldn't take the powers with her, so she got stripped down to land guard level. But if she ever wants to come back, I'm sure the boss will find her a spot. Someone'll die eventually, nothing else." Grimmjow said, then grinned. "It's possible to move up in the power scale, too, y'know. If I weren't such a damned wanderer I might try it." Ichigo felt bemused at that information.

"That's not how it works in the Lazare at all. You're born with your power level and it's very hard to move up, and I've never heard of anyone moving down except as a really bad punishment." It was strange to think, that in the Inuziri someone could just decide to give up their powers and walk away. But it did fit the free spirited nature of the place.

"Well, we sure as hell have that too – hst!" Ichigo yelped as Grimmjow yanked him to a stop, his feet skidding in the dirt. "Well, duty calls and we've also got a learning moment. Look over there." Ichigo followed Grimmjow's gaze to the right side of the road. He couldn't see anything wrong with it. "Trapdoor spider. How'd the fucker get so close to the road? Goddamn dangerous."

"I can't see it." Ichigo said, trying in vain to determine what Grimmjow had spotted. He just couldn't see it.

"They're hard as hell to spot, until you've seen a few." Grimmjow said, scratching the back of his neck as he looked towards that part of the road. "Hm… look, see those glittery things on the ground and touching the grass? And how it's just a bit flattened over there, doesn't look quite right?" Ichigo frowned, standing on tip toe as he tried to get a better look. It was very subtle, but he could see the silky threads that were catching the light and sparkling just a bit. And the grass did look a little flattened. It was also brown and desiccated, as if it was dying.

"I see it now." Ichigo said as he finally managed to pick out the area that was affected. It was an irregular circle, with a strange bulge to one side. "You were right, it's hard to spot." That was very unnerving. The strands went onto the road, so one wrong step and a traveler could be a meal. Grimmjow scowled and held out a hand, calling up a sword of blue fire. He could fight with his claws, and often did, but he also liked to use a sword.

"Okay, we're gonna have to get rid of it. Fucking menace. Now, this thing is big and it's really fucking fast." Grimmjow's tone was businesslike and Ichigo called up his own sword, a blade of golden power. "It spits paralytic venom. We're both strong enough to purge it pretty fast, but try not to get hit. It can also jump, even straight up. I'll take the ground while you come at it from above, okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Ichigo agreed, trying to hide his nerves. He'd had to fight a few times already, of course, but this was something new. And it sounded quite dangerous. Taking to the air he circled as Grimmjow picked up some rocks and began taunting the spiders, throwing them onto the webs, hard. They were both completely shocked as two spiders leapt out and at the land guard.

_Two?!_ Ichigo's eyes widened as Grimmjow dodged frantically, clearly taken completely by surprise. He'd never mentioned this possibility. Ichigo screamed an eagle's cry and stooped on the spiders, golden claws flying ahead of him to rend and tear. But the spiders sensed him and leapt aside before the claws could hit and he closed in with his sword.

Things turned into a bit of a blur at that point. Blue and gold fire flashed, and Ichigo saw Grimmjow get hit with not one, but two streams of venom. The land guard reeled and Ichigo screamed again, rending one of the spiders with his sword. Then they both turned on him and it was his time to get hit by a glob of venom, although he managed to dodge the second. It burned for a brief moment, and then he felt his body going numb. Grasping his power, he concentrated on purging it but screamed as one of the spiders caught him with a long, powerful limb. He went flying into the grass, hitting the ground hard enough to make the world go momentarily black. He tried to struggle up, flailing in the grass.

When he managed to stand, one of the spiders was out of the fight, either dead or dying, partly from the blow he'd landed and partly from Grimmjow's claws. But the second spider was going after Grimmjow, and the land guard was struggling to stay on his feet. Ichigo wondered how often he'd been hit by the double doses of venom, but then screamed in rage and launched his own attack.

With Ichigo distracting the spider, Grimmjow purged the venom and partially recovered. With the two of them attacking, it was still not an easy fight but they quickly overpowered and killed the spider. Ichigo stood panting, ichor dripping from his claws as Grimmjow sat down heavily in the dirt.

"Two of them!" He wheezed out and Ichigo went to his side. The land guards' pupils were heavily dilated and Ichigo could tell he was still suffering some effects from the venom. "I've never seen that shit before, ever. What the hell? They're supposed to be solitary hunters."

_I have no idea. Extremely curious. It does explain how they managed to set up so close to the road… I imagine I've lost several land guards to them._ The Destroyer mused and Ichigo frowned, putting his arms around his mate. He could believe that, if either one of them had been alone they would have been a meal.

"Couldn't you have warned us?" He asked and the Destroyer laughed, a soft, growling purr.

_Silly cub. How was I to know? They're just animals, not things that can warp the flows of the land like sand worms. And I didn't happen to see any of my land guards dying to them. I have my limits._ Ichigo bit his lip, but nodded. The Creator wasn't as open about his limits as the Destroyer, but Ichigo was sure they were very similar. _You should go find a place to stay. Purging is well and good, but Grimmjow has taken a massive overdose of the venom._ Ichigo looked into the face of his lover and saw the Creator was right. Grimmjow was close to passing out, his head resting against Ichigo's shoulder.

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo gently poked him in the side, and Grimmjow muttered something incoherent. "Do you need me to carry you?" The land guard would be heavy, but it would be doable. That roused him, though, and bright blue eyes glared at him.

"I can run." He growled, pulling himself to his feet and nearly falling over. Ichigo smiled to himself as he gripped Grimmjow's arm. "Shit!"

"Don't feel bad, Grimmjow. You took that venom how many times?" Ichigo wasn't sure, but he figured it was at least four. The other land guard hissed in displeasure, mostly at himself.

"Shouldn't have happened even once. Never saw two of them before…" Grimmjow mumbled, wavering a bit on his feet. Ichigo frowned, wondering if he would be able to run. But the land guard shook his head and suddenly took off, his usual fluid gait broken and halting. Ichigo followed, quickly moving up beside him and taking over the duty of watching for trouble. He doubted Grimmjow was taking much in, right now.

It took them almost an hour to reach a very small village, and Grimmjow's coordination problems were getting worse, not better. Ichigo watched him like a hawk and glared at anyone who even dared look at them.

There was no inn, but he was able to rent a room with a bar from a friendly couple who were the village blacksmiths. Ichigo didn't trust them, because he didn't trust anyone, but being able to bar the door soothed his nerves. Grimmjow practically collapsed as soon as they were inside, and Ichigo knelt beside him, gently touching his throat as he checked his pulse. It was fast and thready under his fingers.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" Ichigo asked the Destroyer worriedly as he watched Grimmjow. The land guard's ears were flicking and he was mumbling in his sleep.

_He should be. Being hit by that much of the venom is a bit like being drunk, or so I'm told. Just let him sleep it off._ Ichigo smiled a bit at that but shook his head. This wasn't how Grimmjow acted when he was drunk. _I didn't say it was exactly like being drunk._

"Fair enough." Ichigo whispered, gently placing a kiss on Grimmjow's cheek. Then he cuddled up behind the land guard, noting that the spider venom left a pungent odor, and they both really needed a bath. Maybe they could find the village well and at least sponge themselves off in the morning.

Letting that concern go, he nuzzled the back of Grimmjow's neck and let sleep claim him.

* * *

And so, a few days later, they ran into the city of Los Noches.

Ichigo wished he could say he enjoyed the experience, but he didn't. There was a putrid stench over the city, combining rot, raw sewage and the smell of burning dung. After the pure, beautifully fresh air of the plains it was particularly jarring.

The city itself was built mostly out of stone, which had been stained by the constant soot to the color of charcoal. For the first time, Ichigo saw the weakest and most vulnerable of the Inuziri. Beggars could be found on almost every street corner, usually with missing limbs, blind eyes or some other terrible deformity. Out in the wilderness they would simply have died, but in the city they could eke out a living from the kindness and trash of others.

Hatchlings were surprisingly common, also living on the trash. Grimmjow gave him a low voiced explanation as they ran. Most of the street people could never make a trip to the Hueco Mundo, so they simply laid their eggs here. Most were eaten, often by other hungry street people, but enough survived for hatchlings to be constantly running around. And for the first time, Ichigo saw a hatchling that had just made the transition to a humanoid form. She was very young, perhaps only ten, but that was apparently when the transition usually happened.

"So you attacked a land guard when you were that size?" Ichigo asked Grimmjow, who grinned wickedly.

"Yeah, I did. I knew I could take him. I was almost right too, but the Destroyer gave him a bit of extra strength to put me down and drag me in. Heh, I was such a little bastard." Grimmjow said with perverse pride and Ichigo smiled. He could picture that, although he did wish he could have seen Grimmjow as a child that size. He'd probably been terrifying but adorable. "And there's the palace. Try not to puke." He added, squeezing Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo was about to ask why when he saw the corpses.

"Ugh." Was all he said at the sight of tattered bodies stuck to the walls of the building. There were great spikes built into the walls, probably with this purpose in mind. "Why?" He muttered, feeling sick again. But not nearly as much as the first time. Constant exposure to violent death was having an effect. Grimmjow shrugged.

"This always happens during a change of power. There's always someone too dumb to run or too powerful to be spared." He glanced up at the bodies assessingly. "No land guards, that's all I care about. Well, let's go deliver this crap to the scholars." Grimmjow stepped up to the palace gates confidently, and with good reason. The two land guards on gate duty took one look at him and let him in. Most likely they knew exactly what he was here for, and if they didn't the Destroyer had probably told them.

The archives, though, were in a far off wing of the palace. They got to thread through dozens of small, twisting corridors that seemed designed to confuse. At least, Ichigo had no idea where he was after the first few turns. Torches provided flickering illumination, and Ichigo sneezed, rubbing his nose. He was beginning to understand why Grimmjow felt so stifled by cities. He was feeling pretty stifled himself at the moment.

Grimmjow finally pushed open a heavy metal door, and Ichigo swallowed at the creak of rusty hinges. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought they were entering a torture chamber. But the room inside was huge and surprisingly pleasant. Instead of torches, little brackets held balls of light, shedding a warm, comforting radiance and giving the room a beautiful natural light. Ichigo touched one with his power and realized that they were being maintained constantly by whoever ran the archives.

Those lights were only the first of the pleasant things in the room, however. There were vast shelves of scrolls and papers, all carefully catalogued and arranged. Tablets were arranged in filing cabinets in a way practically identical to the Lazare. Statues and ancient artwork were displayed, as well, and carefully protected behind wards of power. But despite those displays, this was clearly a room designed with serious scholars in mind. There were dozens of tables and chairs, and several of them were occupied with Inuziri doing very serious, intense work. Ichigo was almost astonished, despite everything Grimmjow had told him. It seemed the Inuziri took the past very, very seriously.

"Land guard. You have deliveries?" A cool voice said and Ichigo shivered faintly as a feeling of power thrummed through the air. This was no land guard, and he was willing to bet it was a Power. Blinking, he turned and saw a man with pink hair and glasses. He was wearing an open purple robe, showing the white bone beneath.

"Yeah, Szayel. I have something really good." Grimmjow's grin was wicked as he set his pack on a table, pulling out his map case. "I'm expecting a statue in my honor. I think I have the tablet for your missing set." That raised the pink man's eyebrows and he stepped forward, taking the map case.

"Let me see." He cleared off the nearest table, the scholar working there taking his work and moving to another location. Then he spread the etchings over the table, handling them carefully. There was a long pause as he examined the etching then nodded slowly. "Very good, Grimmjow. You always do excellent work. Where did you find this?"

"The Lazare." That made Szayel lift his head and give Grimmjow a hard stare. The land guard just shrugged. "It's a long story, but I got to spend a year there. A lot of it in Ryoko, translating shit for them. They didn't know the Debrian dialect."

"Really? How peculiar." Szayel tilted his head and Ichigo thought he was listening to the Destroyer. Whatever was being said, though, was not being shared with them. "Well, the Destroyer vouches for your truthfulness. I'll have to hear that story, sometime. Hm." He tapped his bottom lip for a moment, thinking. "You should stay in the palace until we're done translating these properly. The Queen might want to see you."

"Yeah, I figured." Grimmjow sounded more resigned than anything. "I fucking hate this place though. Can I get something better than the dorms? I have a mate now." Ichigo blushed as Grimmjow's arm went around his waist possessively. Szayel smiled and snapped his fingers, summoning a minion.

"I will put you with my fraccion. I have several unused rooms, and a mated pair deserves some privacy." He said with a purring note in his voice and Grimmjow grimaced, to Ichigo's surprise. "Oh, calm down. I don't take the unwilling for my fraccion. Although you would be an excellent addition, with your skills."

"I'm too useful on the field." Grimmjow said firmly. "But I'll take a room, thanks Szayel." The pink haired man smiled, before bending over his work as the minion showed them out. Ichigo glanced at the man curiously. He was very short, and wearing a dark purple robe that covered everything. That was unusual, most of the Inuziri didn't wear any clothing at all.

More labyrinthine corridors later, they were finally shown into a room. The door was simple wood, rather than metal, but looked sturdy enough. And to his pleasure, Ichigo saw there was a bar inside and no windows. It was a bit claustrophobic, with all the heavy stone, but it felt very secure. And to his further pleasure there was an actual bed, not just a mat on the floor. He wasn't in the mood for the cuffs, not right now, but it was nice to have it as an option. There was also an end table and, to Ichigo's surprise, a wardrobe. He opened it to find it was empty.

"Since people have to stay sealed all the time around the Queen, they tend to wear clothing around here." Grimmjow said as he set his pack in the wardrobe, and Ichigo frowned.

"Should we get some clothing then?" He asked. Grimmjow had said he'd appeared before the King naked, but Ichigo knew he would have a lot of trouble doing that himself. Grimmjow hesitated a moment.

"Clothes are expensive, but maybe we can put them on the Queen's expense account. And I gotta say, having clothing when I met your Queen really made me feel better." Grimmjow admitted. "Less like someone might gut me at any moment." Ichigo winced, then laughed.

"Clothing is a kind of armor, in our minds anyway." He said with a smile. It was true, really. Grimmjow nodded ruefully.

"I never really thought about it that way, but you're right." The land guard hopped onto the bed, stretching out, and Ichigo's mouth went dry as he watched Grimmjow seal his powers. "Bar that door, would ya? I'm in a mood here."

"So I see." Ichigo quickly attended to that and considered sealing his own power as well, but then decided against it. Although it made him wonder. Would they ever feel safe enough for them both to seal their powers? He glanced over at the bed and saw that Grimmjow was lying on his side now, grinning at him.

"If we're not safe here, we're not safe anywhere. You can seal if you want, and I'd love to see your feathers above me." The land guard said with a soft, growling purr that sparked immediate lust in his eagle lover. Ichigo swallowed, and then concentrated on sealing his power, letting the feathers come out. Then he crawled onto the bed beside Grimmjow. He didn't need to ask what his lover wanted, he could tell just from the way he was laying on the mattress. He did get a small surprise, though, when Grimmjow got him to kneel between his legs, then hooked one leg over his shoulder. It was a new position for him.

"Hey, what about foreplay?" Ichigo asked with a grin, leaning forward a little and running a hand over Grimmjow's scar. The land guard moaned and arched into the touch.

"Fuck foreplay. I am so goddamned horny right now I just want you inside me." He growled and while that was sexy beyond words, Ichigo really wanted at least a bit of teasing before they got down to the main event. Grinning, he flicked the scar with his fingertips, slowly running his hand down Grimmjow's body. "Argh, Ichigo!" The way Grimmjow's body trembled at the touch made desire pool in his loins, and Ichigo gripped his lover's erection as he positioned himself and went inside.

"Ah!" He gasped in pleasure at the tight heat around him and looked down, meeting bright blue eyes. "Grimmjow." He moaned the name as he began to move, taking the land guard at a slow and easy pace. Grimmjow growled, tossing his head back as Ichigo found his prostate. Ichigo licked his lips, wishing he could capture that soft throat in his mouth, but it just wasn't possible in this position. Instead, he watched a bead of sweat slide down that pale skin and speeded his pace, gasping softly as his desire overtook him.

"Grimmjow, I love you." He said as he drove in harder, making his lover cry out in pleasure. An answering cry rose to his own lips, at the feel of Grimmjow's insides trembling and clenching around him. It was primitive and hot and glorious, and he went harder and faster, deepening the penetration. This position made it easy to get deep inside his lover and Ichigo took advantage of that, claiming the other land guard passionately.

"Love you… too… agh!" Grimmjow grunted, his eyes glazing over with pleasure as he was pumped and penetrated. Ichigo's hand was moving on his cock, and the delicious friction combined with the feel of the eagle inside him was simply amazing. "Damn." He gasped as he looked up. Ichigo's wings were spread over them both, the feathers glittering in the flickering light of the torch on the wall. His brown eyes were lit with lust and love, and gilded with that golden light. "Yes!" The pleasure inside him reached a peak, and Ichigo cried out as Grimmjow's body tensed around him, thick threads of white come staining his hand and the bedsheets. The feeling of muscles tightening around him brought him to the edge, and one quick thrust more sent him over. Ichigo keened his pleasure as he filled the limp, gasping land guard below him with his release.

"Mmm." Ichigo said, sliding Grimmjow's leg off his shoulder. He slid up the warm, sweat covered body and gave his lover a deep, searching kiss. Grimmjow slid a hand behind his head, fingers digging into soft orange hair as they enjoyed the taste of each other's lips. "That was great." He whispered, then smiled as Grimmjow began unsealing his power. He followed suit, letting the bone reform on his body and wings, feeling his hair lengthening. That was the most pleasant thing about being in released form, having long hair to play with.

"Sure was." Grimmjow agreed, moving over to make a bit of room on the bed. Ichigo sighed, curling up beside him. The bed wasn't very large, but it was big enough if they cuddled. And that was no problem at all.

They fell asleep together, warm and content.


	12. Queen of the Inuziri

Ichigo smiled as he looked at himself in a mirror. It was a crude mirror, made out of polished bronze, but it worked. He could see himself and he liked what he saw.

Grimmjow had needed to ask Szayel, but the Power had let them buy some clothes on his expense account. The city had some half-decent shops that catered to the Queen's court, so they were able to get clothing. The translations took long enough that they could even have it personally tailored.

So Ichigo was wearing a very fine pair of black pants. Because of his wings, he'd dispensed with a shirt altogether, but his pants were tightly tailored and embroidered with light green thread. The colors were chosen because they were the cheapest. Black dye was made from tree bark, and green came from something equally cheap. Some colors, like purple, were insanely expensive. It was all rather odd to Ichigo, who was used to a plentiful color palette, but civilization had some advantages. And even the cities of the Inuziri were not civilized.

"Hey, Ichigo, what do you think?" Ichigo turned to look at Grimmjow and smiled. Instead of tightly tailored, he'd gone for billowing black pants with a dark green sash holding them in place. He wasn't wearing a shirt either, or even a coat, and his scar was quite visible. But he'd sprung for black leather cuffs, fastened around his wrist with iron chains. Ichigo had considered getting those, but he'd wanted the embroidery more.

"You look wonderful." He said with a smile, although he thought the white and black outfit Grimmjow had worn in the Lazare had suited him better. But that was simply not possible, here. White clothing was simply unavailable. No one would have bought it, even if the bleaching process hadn't been prohibitively expensive. The Inuziri knew their clothing would get dirty, and cleaning it was expensive. "I only wish the pants were a bit tighter, so I could admire you a bit more." He said, stepping closer and resting a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder. The land guard smiled, but it was strange and crooked.

"Yeah, well… I have a feeling it might last longer this way." Ichigo blinked at that, confused. But then Grimmjow kissed him, driving any thought of clothing out of his mind. "Let's change back and release, I feel naked, figuratively speaking."

"Oh, right." Ichigo nodded, going into the changing room. He understood exactly what Grimmjow meant. This shop was pretty safe – none of these specialty stores could afford to alienate the Queen's court – but it still felt wrong, both of them being sealed in public. But they couldn't try on clothing in their released forms. The bones would be too much in the way. Ichigo took off his new clothes, carefully folding them before closing his eyes and releasing his powers.

As he left the changing room, he paused to take a look at his released form in the mirror. He'd seen it before, after a fashion, in pools of water and the flat of a knife. But this was better, and he smiled as he realized he looked just as feral and dangerous as Grimmjow. Even his eyes were different, full of a quiet power that wasn't the same as Grimmjow's feral intensity, but was just as dangerous. He knew he could kill, and would, and it showed.

"Admiring yourself?" Ichigo smiled as Grimmjow's arms went around him from behind, and he regarded them both in the mirror. He leaned back into those arms, giving Grimmjow a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes. You know, I love how I look here." He said softly, smiling. "I love this place. I feel so… full." He couldn't explain it better than that. It was like his heart and soul had found their true home. Grimmjow's arms tightened around him for a moment.

"Y'know, that makes me so happy. I was afraid you'd hate the Inuziri. I liked being in the Lazare, and you seemed to be so happy there." Grimmjow said and Ichigo laughed.

"I was only happy because you were there." He said warmly and Grimmjow's arms tightened around him for a moment before he let go.

"That's so sweet, but we better get going. There's a bar around here that sells some really good smoked salmon, I hear." Grimmjow licked his lips and Ichigo smiled. He knew the other land guard had a real passion for smoked salmon, and if it was smoked properly it was available year round.

"Let's go see." Ichigo said agreeably. They put their purchases in their bags before leaving the store. Ichigo noticed that Grimmjow was still wearing his cuffs, over his armor, and smiled. They really did look good on him.

The bar was quite pleasant, the first place Ichigo had seen in the Inuziri that could actually be called a restaurant. There were good wooden tables, polished and mostly unscarred. But they didn't bother with that, just taking seats at the bar. A barmaid came over to take their order, and for the first time they actually had a selection.

"We have smoked salmon, jerked bison, baked larva and rabbit on a stick. Also a hatchling that tried to steal some rabbit." Ichigo went pale at that and Grimmjow grimaced. "It's cheap."

"Yeah, thanks but no thanks. We'll have the salmon." He said firmly as Ichigo considered being sick. It appeared the Inuziri could still shock him. The barmaid shrugged. "And we'll have a pair of shots." That made her smile and she poured them the drinks first, before fetching them the food. Grimmjow tossed back the alcohol and Ichigo followed suit, blinking at the taste. It was the same stuff as always, but this time it was peppered with something hot that made his tongue tingle. He considered it a moment before he decided he liked it. The barmaid brought out their salmon on wooden plates, and then pushed a mug in front of them. Ichigo blinked before realizing the little scorpions on the sticks were bar snacks. Grimmjow took one of the sticks and quickly bit off a few scorpions. "Try them, they're crunchy." He said and Ichigo decided to have a go at it. He found they were surprisingly good. They had been toasted over an open flame until they had a good crunch and an almost nutty flavor.

"This is good." He said, trying his salmon. It was luscious, smooth and pleasant on his tongue. "Mmmm." He murmured appreciatively. The Inuziri did have much, much better fish than the Lazare.

"Another round, gents?" The barmaid asked and Ichigo nodded. He really did want a bit more of that peppery alcohol. She poured it for them, and Ichigo blinked as he realized she hadn't asked for their money up front. But then, this was the good part of town, if you could say that the city had a good part of town.

In the end, their meal came to almost three silvers, pretty expensive. But Grimmjow put it on Szayel's expense account without much concern. The barmaid accepted the little chit they'd been given, making an impression of it without comment. Apparently, this was the usual thing for fraccion living in the city.

"Should we be putting food on his account?" Ichigo asked as they left, concerned. They didn't need to eat, it was just an amusement for them. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Szayel won't mind, he recommended I try that place. And he damn well knows I don't have much money." He said and that eased Ichigo's concern. "So when are we meeting the Queen again?"

"Tonight, at six." Ichigo said, smiling faintly in amusement. Grimmjow had asked him that before. "Are you going to get beaten again?" He asked with some concern. He suspected Grimmjow was going to get hurt, and he really didn't want it to happen. Grimmjow flashed him a wicked grin.

"Oh yeah." He said and Ichigo sighed to himself. He knew where this was going to go.

"I'm going to get beaten right beside you, you know." He said. There was simply no way he was going to watch the Queen having Grimmjow whipped or beaten without trying to intervene. Grimmjow scowled then, less than amused.

"Why the hell would you get beaten? Just let me do my thing, it'll be fine." Grimmjow said as Ichigo gave him a skeptical look. "They know if they want to punish part of a mated pair, they have to pin the other down. That's just how it goes."

"Well, what if I don't want to see you beaten?" Ichigo scowled. "Grimmjow, can't you hold it in just this once?" They were having a mild fight now. It had happened before, when they really disagreed on something, but not very often. Grimmjow did him the favor of really thinking about it for a moment.

"No. I'd look like a sissy to the other land guards. It's different for you, you're more of a contemplative type, but I have a reputation to uphold." He said firmly and Ichigo shook his head, giving up.

"You're insane." He let his affection come out in the words, though, and smiled as Grimmjow flashed him a grin. "Do what you have to do, but don't come crying to me when she dunks you in a fountain." That made his lover scowl.

"Fuck! We're Inuziri. We don't even have fountains. I'm looking forward to a good whipping, just you wait and see." Grimmjow sounded like he really was looking forward to it, and Ichigo shook his head again. Despite being an Inuziri now, and a land guard, there were some things he just didn't understand. Did the Destroyer understand it?

_Of course I do. Where do you think he gets it from?_ Ichigo grinned as Grimmjow laughed. The blue haired land guard could guess what he was thinking about.

"Yeah, we land guards are like an echo of the Destroyer, the best ones anyway. Let's go show this bitch how awesome we are." Grimmjow said with a grin as they went back to the palace.

There was still time to kill, though, and they spent it in the scriptorium. Grimmjow was completely trusted and he vouched for Ichigo, so the land guard worked on his lessons, teaching him the old script. Even in this area, Grimmjow was a good teacher and Ichigo carefully worked out the translations. Of course, the fact that he was writing in Lazare was a bit of a problem.

"I need to teach you Inuziri. I'd forgotten about that, and we didn't have any books anyway." Grimmjow said as he looked at the alien characters. Ichigo frowned before nodding. This could easily give away his origins, if anyone happened to see.

"Why don't we start on that first?" He suggested quietly. "I'm supposed to be a new hatchling, you'd have to teach me anyway." Then something struck him. "Hey… how can I be a newly evolved hatchling when I look this old?" He looked much older than the young girl they'd seen. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Newly caught. Some hatchlings can evolve and stay wild for years, before they leave the Mundo or someone finally nails their feet to the floor. And bird types are damn hard to catch, it's why they're so rare." Ichigo blinked, but that made sense. He could easily outfly Grimmjow, and how could the land guard catch him? Grimmjow put the ancient books away. "If we're gonna do that, I'll go get some stuff from the dorms. They always have books for the youngsters."

So for the next several hours, Ichigo spent his time learning the Inuziri written language. It wasn't difficult, since he already spoke it, but learning a new alphabet took time. Ichigo practiced the letters, drawing them carefully on a blank sheet of paper. Then it was time to go see the Queen.

They had to go to their room first, and get changed. Then one of Szayel's minions showed them to the throne room. They walked through more twisting, ugly coridoors before finally reaching their destination.

Ichigo wasn't expecting the throne room to look anything like the Queen's throne in the Lazare, but he still got a bit of a shock. The vast hall was crowded with people. Powers, land guards and the common citizens of the Inuziri, the inhabitants of the castle made flowing patterns as they paused to talk to each other and engage in other activities. Ichigo blushed as he spotted what was going on in one corner of the room. A woman whose costume seemed to be nothing but golden jewelry was receiving oral sex from another woman, to the delight of several watching men. A lot of people where just ignoring it. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw that compared to most of the people here, he and Grimmjow looked very plain and very… covered. It seemed that much of the Queen's court believed that less was more, when it came to clothing. One particular man caught his eye. He was tall, with dark hair, and his clothing consisted of a wolfskin loincloth and furry cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Ichigo could sense his energy, and he was clearly a Power.

But as fascinating as the people were, the room captured his attention just as much. The walls were grey stone, stained heavily by old soot and bodily fluids. It had been cleaned, Ichigo could tell, but nothing would remove all the stains. Shields and weapons were nailed to the walls, ancient weapons that were corroded and stained with age. Ichigo wondered if anyone had ever grabbed them off the wall to use them, and suspected they had. On both sides of the room were great fireplaces, currently unused. But he could picture them roaring in the winter as they struggled to heat this great room.

The carpet that led to the throne was actually animal skins. Ichigo could pick out bear and wolf and panther, the furs melding together into a beautiful surface that was warm and comfortable underfoot. The throne itself was carved wood, and Ichigo swallowed as he saw the strange, grinning faces that had been worked into the wood. Last, but assuredly not least, he looked at the woman who sat in that throne.

She was barbaric and exotically beautiful. Slender and willowy, she looked amazingly young, barely past her teenage years. Her face was thin and sharp, framed with flowing black hair. That hair was simply amazing, long and luxurious and decorated with several braids. Strands of garnet and jet had been worked into those braids, and more bloody garnet glittered from bangles in her hair. Her power was sealed, as much as any Power was ever sealed, and she wore clothing. Tightly tailored pants of black leather led down to leather boots, and instead of a shirt she wore a vest. The vest was black cloth, embellished with garnet and jet. Chains of black steel held it closed, but revealed tantalizing glimpses of the edges of bare breasts as she moved. On her wrists were cuffs of blood red fur, and she wore a similar cuff around her throat, set with a single cameo of more black jet. Bright red eyes that screamed of held back violence and intelligence locked into his, and Ichigo had to resist the urge to bow before her.

Grimmjow, however, had no such trouble.

"Hey bitch. So whose idea was it to get a whore to put a poison pack up her ass, anyway? And who knew Baraggan was an ass man?" Grimmjow's voice rang out over the suddenly quiet court, except for the woman moaning in the back, and Ichigo cringed as the Queen grinned, revealing wicked white fangs. "Was it you that knew? And how'd you know? I bet you were his type."

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo squeaked as the guards behind the Queen came alive. He desperately tried to sense their power and cringed a little. Two of them were obviously the Queen's original fraccion, and not particularly powerful. But the other two were likely new picks, because they were both Grimmjow's match… and unlike the land guard, they were unsealed.

The two strong ones went for Grimmjow, while the other two went for him. Ichigo would have been offended, but Grimmjow fought like a mad creature before he was subdued, a foot planted firmly on the back of his neck. Ichigo was just held in place, watching helplessly as the Queen stood up from her throne. Her heels clicked on the floor, then sank into the furs as she walked over to Grimmjow.

"I do love it how you talk without engaging your brain, land guard." She said with a grin as Grimmjow sneered as best he could with his face pressed into the carpet. "Get him up. I want to have a look at him." Her land guards pulled Grimmjow into a kneeling position, holding him in place very firmly. The Queen circled him a moment, evaluating him, then laughed. Ichigo shivered at the sound. It was vicious and anticipatory. "Starrk. Get me the whip." She gestured to the man in wolf skins Ichigo had noticed earlier. He bowed slightly and went to the wall, pulling down a whip of black leather.

"You think a whipping will make me scream, bitch?" Grimmjow asked derisively, then blinked as she took the whip from Starrk. "What the hell?" He squirmed slightly then hissed as the guards tightened their hold. The Queen grabbed his hair, yanking his head back as she rested the coiled whip on his shoulder.

"Heh." She snickered as she ran the whip over his pale skin and Ichigo drew in a gasp as dark red light seemed to glitter over the black leather. "I prefer to do my own dirty work, land guard. It's a shame about the rugs, but we have ways to get blood out of fur. And yes." She dropped her voice, running the whip over Grimmjow's scar and eliciting a sound that made Ichigo's hair stand on end. "I do think you'll scream."

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo screamed and started to really fight his guards. But he couldn't get free fast enough, and Starrk walked over, setting a hand on his chest. He looked up into the man's grey-blue eyes, which seemed oddly sad. "Let me go – agh!" A shooting pain went through his chest, taking the breath out of him. He was helpless to act as he heard the first blow of the whip.

It took several blows for her to make Grimmjow scream, and there were tears in Ichigo's eyes as he saw what was happening. The red energy the Queen had infused the whip with was tormenting the land guard, disrupting his innate energy flows in a way that caused agony. She hadn't even drawn blood yet. But her next blow was stronger, and bit deeply into pale skin, causing blood to flow and drip onto the carpet. There was one more lash, then Ichigo blinked as the Queen suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. Her lip curled, revealing one sharp white fang as she sampled the air again.

"Hmm?" Transferring her whip to her other hand, the Queen of the Inuziri gripped Grimmjow's hair again and yanked his head back. The land guard was only semi-conscious and didn't resist at all as she sniffed his throat. "Hm." She let go, and ran a finger through the blood running down his back, bringing it to her lips and sampling it like it was a fine wine. Then she shook her head. "Starrk, have the whip cleaned and return it to its place." She ordered, and Ichigo could see the surprise on the face of the man across from him. Starrk hesitated a moment before going back to get the whip. "Let him go." The guards released Grimmjow, who growled and blinked before pushing himself up shakily. "It seems you will get out of your punishment, land guard. It is not right to whip a man who's carrying an egg."

"What?" Ichigo breathed as Grimmjow just scowled, sitting back on his knees. He was fully conscious now and avoiding Ichigo's eyes. "WHAT?! Grimmjow, you lunatic! Let me go!" He struggled against the guards, who both looked at the Queen. She flicked her wrist with a grin and they both let go of the eagle, letting him run to his mate. "How could you! You knew you were carrying and didn't tell me, and then you got yourself beaten! Are you stupid?" Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow's shoulders and would have shaken him, but the guttural hiss the land guard made stopped him. "What is WRONG with you?"

"Hey, I have a reputation to – mph!" Ichigo silenced his insane lover with a deep and passionate kiss. There were a few whistles from the crowd, but he didn't care. He was furious and elated and shocked, and he had to express all the feelings inside himself somehow. Shocked blue eyes met wild brown, and Ichigo hugged Grimmjow tightly.

"I think your reputation is safe, land guard." Ichigo blushed and Grimmjow snarled at the laughter in the Queen's voice. She walked past them, going back to her throne. "Now, try to contain yourself. The game's no fun when I can't hurt you." She settled back onto her wooden chair, and cocked one leg over one of the arms. A wicked grin split her face. "Since you two brought us that absolutely delightful tablet, you are going on a mission. You will be accompanying Szayel and Starrk as they meet with the Lazare in the Broken Lands." Ichigo felt Grimmjow stiffen and wondered what the Broken Lands could be. "They will have two other attendants, but for this consider yourselves their fraccion. You will be leaving in a week."

"What are we going to talk to the Lazare about?" Ichigo dared ask, and the Queen gave him a toothy grin.

"That is not for you to know, land guard." She said with a harsh growl and Ichigo had to accept that. He looked at her closely, trying for the first time to decide what type she was. He finally decided she was probably a wolf. Something about her ears suggested it. "Stay in the Court, and join us for dinner. You'll love it. We have excellent smoked salmon." Ichigo froze at the hint that they had been spied upon. Grimmjow snarled, easily catching the same thing. Her grin was chilling. "Now, stop bleeding on my furs."

"Right." Ichigo breathed out, taking that as the dismissal it was. He carefully helped Grimmjow up, who snorted and spat on the floor, making Ichigo wince. He dragged Grimmjow away as quickly as he could, and conversations came to life as the whole drama in front of the Queen was over. Ichigo blinked as, for the first time, he heard instrumental music in the Inuziri. Someone was playing a fiddle, and doing a very good job of it. "Grimmjow, can you please try not to piss someone off before dinner?" Ichigo asked, very anxious and doing a poor job of hiding it. Grimmjow growled and suddenly pulled away from him. Ichigo blinked in surprise as the land guard suddenly gripped his shoulders.

"Ichigo. I might be carrying an egg, but I am not a fucking cripple." Grimmjow snarled. Ichigo swallowed as he met furious blue eyes. "I knew you would get all protective on me. Stop it! I can still handle myself." Ichigo bit his lip, feeling a pain in his heart. Now that he knew about the egg, he could smell the difference in Grimmjow. His blood carried the scent of it more strongly, and it was bringing all his protective instincts to the fore. He wanted, needed to protect his mate and his egg. It hurt that Grimmjow was denying him that. "Just keep being my partner Ichigo. That's all I need from you." Grimmjow's voice was softer now and Ichigo sniffed before gently hugging him.

"Grimmjow…" Ichigo wasn't certain how long he stayed like that, just cuddling his mate. "I want to protect you. I need to protect you. But… I'll try not to do it too much." He said and Grimmjow sighed, his breath ruffling short orange hair.

"I guess it'll have to do. But I'm warning you, if you get all clingy I'm going to punch you in the face." Grimmjow warned and Ichigo couldn't help but smile, because he was sure Grimmjow would do it.

Even pregnant and in pain, the other land guard was nothing to take lightly.


	13. Making Up is Hard to Do

Grimmjow sighed as he stood on the edge of the battlement, looking at the streets below.

The city was dirty and evil as it always had been. He wasn't glad to be there, and the stink of the city made him feel sick. He had to suppress an almost agonizing desire to leap down and run, run as far and as fast as he could to get away from this place.

Blue hair slid to the side, tugged by the strong wind, and Grimmjow leaned against dark grey stone, his tail lashing. He was up here because he and Ichigo had just finished their first, drop down, vicious fight.

"Shit." Grimmjow sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "This is all my fucking fault." He knew it was his fault. He should have told Ichigo about the pregnancy as soon as he realized what was happening. But it was just so damned _inconvenient._

He'd been seeded since the very day they entered the Inuziri. Apparently, the only reason he and Ichigo had been sterile together had been the Creator's edict. That had some interesting implications, in Grimmjow's mind. Cats and wolves couldn't mate and produce offspring, but Inuziri and Lazare could, unless the ultimate powers intervened. Did that mean they were the same kind? Given how little Ichigo had actually changed, when he sealed away his power, Grimmjow thought it might be the case.

But the problem was, he'd had a wonderful night tied up to a bed just before they arrived in the Inuziri. Conception could happen up to three days after a night of pleasure, and it had. It had taken him less than a week to sense the change in himself, but he hadn't brought it up for some very good reasons. He was the teacher, the elder land guard. He simply couldn't afford to have Ichigo trying to protect him from the dangers of the Inuziri, dangers his mate didn't even understand.

So he'd kept it a secret, even though it was a nuisance, confining them both to oral and non-penetration until they could get the anti-fertility potions. And he'd only pretended to drink his, saving it for Ichigo, who could still become seeded. It was rare – his own fertility dropped drastically, with an egg growing inside – but it was still possible for Ichigo to conceive from him. A mated pair both having eggs was unusual, to say the least.

But all this meant that Ichigo was fucking furious, and he had a perfect right to be. Grimmjow had been concealing his pregnancy for almost two months. It didn't make any difference to his power at this stage, and the truth was, he was so strong that it wouldn't take him out completely even when he was about to lay. But Ichigo was incredibly pissed that he'd taken so much venom with the spider, and risked himself to save his mate from the rapists. Although Grimmjow wouldn't have done a damned thing differently, even if he'd let Ichigo know. He was not going to be wrapped up in gauze like a damned porcelain vase!

Sighing, Grimmjow rested his forehead on the battlement, rubbing the bone of his headband against the stone. He was still angry when he thought about it, but he could imagine how angry he'd be if Ichigo had kept something like this a secret from him. And it hurt, it hurt a lot knowing his mate was angry with him. They needed to make up, but how? Grimmjow was not good at groveling, and he didn't think Ichigo would be willing to just let it go, not this time.

"Grimmjow." He turned his head, surprised by the sound of that quiet voice. Starrk was there, in his unsealed form. He was a wolf type, with wavy brown hair that only reached his shoulders. His ears were dark grey and heavily furred, and he wore a necklace of wolf teeth. "I'm sorry for what happened in the throne room." He said softly, to the land guard's surprise.

"Huh?" He said intelligently, trying to understand why Starrk would apologize. Grimmjow had known he was going to get it, bad, as soon as he'd laid eyes on the Queen. Her real name was Guadalupe Lobo, and Grimmjow knew her quite well. She'd been Baraggan's chief torturer, before he met his untimely demise. He didn't hold it against her – it was a dirty job, but someone had to do it – but he'd known she'd come up with something creative for him. It hadn't surprised him much when she'd wanted to hold the whip herself. If anything, he respected the Queen a bit more for that. It was a rare royal who was willing to get their own hands dirty. "Why?" Starrk sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I knew you were carrying as soon as I laid eyes on you." He said and Grimmjow frowned. "I'm very good at reading power flows. I'd hoped you wouldn't cause a scene, with your… condition."

"Yeah right." Grimmjow scowled then. Starrk thought he should act like a goddamned pussycat? For a moment, Grimmjow wished he'd been the one on top before they came to the Inuziri. Ichigo would be adapting a hell of a lot more gracefully to this. "Being with egg changes nothing!" He hissed and Starrk sighed, leaning against the wall beside him.

"I thought so. You've never had a mate before, have you?" Starrk asked and Grimmjow had to shake his head, unwillingly. "Do you even know how egg laying goes?"

"Of course I do! I took the physical education classes!" He protested, making Starrk look slightly pained. "What, did they leave something out?" The academy assumed that all their new trainees were dumb as stumps and ignorant as dirt, which was largely correct. So there were plenty of classes dealing with their own anatomy, how to heal up wounds and correctly have sex. All the basics of reproduction were covered, including the male-male version.

"Not anything important. But Grimmjow, the formation of the portal is painful." Starrk said and Grimmjow bit his lower lip. He knew the other male would know. He was mated to Guadalupe now, and they were a good couple, but Starrk had had a male lover sometime in the past. His daughter, Lilynette, had actually stayed with him and had now evolved into a young girl. The Queen was her adoptive mother. Grimmjow was pretty sure her other dad was dead. "Women can give birth vaginally, since the egg is still soft at that stage, but for us it's a power portal in the abdomen. Do you know how to form it?"

"They said that was instinctive." Grimmjow said uneasily. The formation had to be instinctive, or how else could commoners do it? Below land guards, commoners like Rukia had no appreciable ability to use the power inside themselves. Some of the sparkier ones might eventually muster enough power to make land guard, but most were going absolutely nowhere. Starrk frowned, running a hand through his hair.

"It is and it isn't. You can depend on instinct if you really want, but being able to control and direct the power flow makes it less painful. Also, you do realize your strength is going to be severely compromised by this?" Starrk asked and Grimmjow hissed, a low and angry sound.

"I'm fucking powerful! Don't tell me this is going to make me helpless, I won't buy it. I don't feel different at all right now." He'd been carrying for almost two months. He was only going to be carrying the egg for five months, total. Starrk grimaced.

"You'll feel it when the shell begins to form, in about another month." He said with assurance and Grimmjow scowled. "You do have a great deal of power, so you'll probably only be taken down to a lower land guard level. But you will have to depend on Ichigo more, especially in Hueco Mundo." Grimmjow looked away, thinking about it.

It actually wasn't that bad. Lower level land guards usually weren't sent to Hueco Mundo. It was not a place for the weak. But… women of all castes and stratas managed to go there and quickly lay an egg before scuttling out again. It wasn't that bad if you were careful and not looking for trouble. Land guards needed to be strong because they were damned well looking for trouble, it was part of the job description. But he could still teach Ichigo, and act as backup for his partner. It grated on him a bit, and he wasn't going to sit out all the fights, but he could let Ichigo handle the bulk of it.

Of course, to do that, Ichigo would have to trust him to be okay. Grimmjow hissed to himself. That was going to be the problem and he damn well knew it.

"I can depend on him. But will the damned idiot be constantly hovering over me like a mother hen?" Grimmjow knew he sounded petulant and didn't care. Starrk cracked a smile at that.

"More like a mother eagle." Starrk said and Grimmjow huffed a laugh. He was right about that. "But you shouldn't worry too much about that. This mission to the Broken Lands could conceivably take months." Grimmjow frowned at that.

The Broken Lands were the section of land that separated Hueco Mundo from Los Noches. Los Noches was bordered on the East by the Wolf's Teeth Mountains, and the West by the Regio Bosque, or regal forest. That was all temperate trees like maple and oak. To the North of Los Noches was the Desolador Pinar. West from the Pinar was the Furioso Selva, which bordered both the Pinar and the Regio, and led to the coast. Grimmjow knew that beyond the mountains was another rainforest, known as the Pequeno Selva, or small rainforest, because it was only a thin strip of forest before the land turned into the sea.

All of that didn't mean much to him at the moment, but the important bit was that it was the tiniest of trips from the Broken Lands to Hueco Mundo proper. If their mission took months, he would be in the company of two powers and several other land guards during almost all of his pregnancy. He'd be able to quickly drop his egg in the Mundo and head back with hardly a break in his duties. Still…

"Why would it take so long?" He asked and Starrk just shook his head.

"You'll find out." Was the frustrating reply. Grimmjow growled, but didn't bother to pester the Power. The Queen had given him an order and while Starrk might or might not obey a royal, he would obey his mate. "What I'm getting at is that you will be surrounded with so much power, not even your mate could be too protective."

"He'll find a way." Grimmjow muttered, but that did make him feel better. Until it brought him back to his current problem. "Ugh." He was not going to grovel. He simply was not. So how was he going to make things better between them? He'd said some damned nasty things today about protective morons, and Ichigo had come right back with a few things about bone headed land guards. It hadn't gotten physical, but only because he'd punched the wall. Grimmjow bit his lip as he remembered. It was their first real fight, and he hadn't liked it one bit. He knew he had a temper and it was hard to control, but he never wanted it directed at his mate.

"What is it now?" Starrk asked, a bit impatient but not unkind. Grimmjow growled and gripped his hair, pulling on the silken strands. "Let me guess. You had a fight and you don't know how to make up." Grimmjow growled again and nodded. "Grimmjow, just go to him and say you're sorry."

"Huh?" Grimmjow blinked. He honestly hadn't thought of that. He said so and Starrk gave him a look like he was a complete idiot. "What? I've never been mated before!" He said defensively and the Power laughed.

"It shows. You should go make up to him soon, I'm sure he's gotten past his own anger and is now writhing in agony thinking you don't love him anymore." Grimmjow gaped at that, unable to imagine that Ichigo would have reached that point so quickly. Although… when he reached through his heart and soul bonds, he could feel real distress from his mate. Starrk gave him a shove on his shoulder. "Go on, shoo." Utterly bemused, Grimmjow hesitated a moment before deciding to obey Starrk. He'd been mated many times, and some had been quite long lasting. Surely the older man had to know what he was talking about.

He made his way back to his and Ichigo's room, and cautiously opened the door. Grimmjow was stunned to hear quiet sobbing and guilt twisted his gut. He'd made Ichigo that unhappy? He slipped into the room and his lover didn't notice him, his face buried in a pillow. Grimmjow knelt down beside him and gently ran a hand over soft orange hair.

"G-Grimmjow?" Ichigo lifted his head and Grimmjow felt another moment of guilt at the tears on his face.

"Yeah." He said quietly before Ichigo pulled himself off the bed and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, gently nuzzling his mate's cheek. "I'm sorry Ichigo." Just saying he was sorry, he could do that. It wasn't the grovelling he'd been imagining. And with Ichigo so upset, saying those words was the easiest thing in the world.

"I'm s-sorry too." Ichigo said with a small hiccup, clinging to Grimmjow like the land guard was his only lifeline. "Please don't hate me, I was just worried about you." That made Grimmjow feel even worse, if it was possible. Hate him? Yeah, he'd been pissed and said things he shouldn't have, but hate him? Not ever.

"I could never hate you, Ichigo. I love you." He said softly before kissing his eagle, letting Ichigo feel the warmth of his lips and the tenderness behind them. "I love you so damn much it hurts sometimes. But I'm your partner, your equal, and I want to be treated that way, okay?"

"So do I." Ichigo said softly and Grimmjow shivered a little at the intensity in his voice and warm brown eyes. "Please don't keep secrets like this from me anymore, Grimm. I can't be your partner if I don't know what's happening." Grimmjow was tempted to retort, but held it back. He didn't want to start another fight and besides, Ichigo had a point.

"Okay." He said, surrendering. "You know how egg laying goes, right?" Ichigo shook his head and Grimmjow sighed to himself. He should have guessed. He quickly explained the process, about the portal and the duration. "After I lay the egg, we'll need to guard the mound for another three months. Then it will hatch." His gut twisted a little at the thought. He knew the hatchling would immediately run off, especially if they didn't have any food for it, but it still hurt a bit. Ichigo looked even unhappier and Grimmjow was sure he was thinking about the same thing.

"Do you need to eat while the egg is forming?" Ichigo asked, and it was a damn good question. Grimmjow shook his head.

"No. The Destroyer doesn't let his land guards go hungry, and he'll feed the egg too." He said. Ichigo looked a little relieved, then bit his lip.

"But you will get weaker. Grimmjow, are you going to be okay with this?" He asked and the land guard sighed.

"I have to be, don't I?" He said, gently running a hand over Ichigo's side, caressing him despite the white bone. "I'm not going to make myself miscarry." He said fiercely and Ichigo's eyes widened. "Yeah, land guards can do that, and sometimes we do, especially the women." It took some power to cause a deliberate miscarriage, so commoners couldn't do it except with potions. And using potions to cause a miscarriage was generally an awful idea. The difference in dose between miscarriage and fatality was pretty narrow.

"Please, never do that." Ichigo said fervently, hugging him tightly. "It would kill me if you did." He whispered that and Grimmjow kissed him, deeply.

"I never even thought about it." He lied. He had very briefly considered it when he first realized he was pregnant, but he'd quickly rejected the idea. As much as he'd prefer for Ichigo to be carrying the egg, Grimmjow would take life as it came. "Anyway, Starrk says this mission might take months and the Broken Lands are right next to Hueco Mundo. Should be no problem to plant the egg and watch over it for a while." Although there might be a problem if the mission lasted longer than a couple months. But if that happened, Starrk would just have to ask the Destroyer for replacements. Grimmjow was damned well going to see his egg hatch, and he knew Ichigo felt the same.

"Okay." Ichigo said, sounding drained, mostly from the fight and the emotions he'd been through. "Grimmjow?" He said as he lay back on the bed, taking the other land guard with him.

"Yeah?" Grimmjow said, resting a hand against Ichigo's chest. His mate was looking up at him with an oddly vulnerable look. Then he blinked as parts of Ichigo's armor vanished. A grin split his face and he licked his fangs, liking where this was going. "You want me to take you, eagle?" He purred and Ichigo smiled, running his clawed hands up Grimmjow's sides. The claws bit in to white bone, but couldn't penetrate, making a small rattling sound.

"Yes. In our released forms, with all our power thrumming around us." He said warmly and Grimmjow grinned at the request. It was different, far less vulnerable than being in their sealed forms, but also more… primitive. Making love with bone rattling against bone was a strange sort of thrill.

"Sounds great." He said before he mounted the other land guard, important pieces of his own armor vanishing. Foreplay was limited, like this, but there were still a few things to be done. They kissed then, hot and heavy before Grimmjow went down Ichigo's throat, nipping the exposed skin. "Mmm." He breathed in the eagle's heady scent, and smiled as he felt Ichigo bury his face into his neck, taking in his even more alluring scent. Ichigo bit him then and Grimmjow growled as sharp fangs penetrated his skin, letting out small droplets of blood. Ichigo licked them with a soft moan.

"That tastes so good." He murmured, and Grimmjow knew exactly why. His blood was infused with his scent, and that scent was doing everything it could to trigger the mating sickness in Ichigo. Not that it would require much, with a mate this devoted to him.

"Yeah, I know, just don't shred me. We're going to a private dinner with the Queen tomorrow, I don't wanna wear a scarf for it." Grimmjow said with a wicked grin. He didn't actually give a damn about whether or not they saw his hickies. Ichigo laughed, then gasped as a warm, callused hand found his length and began to stroke. Grimmjow stopped for a moment, taking the time to spit in his hand for a bit of lubrication. Then Grimmjow adjusted himself slightly, and a second hard length was lying beside the first as Grimmjow stroked them together. "Nnngh!" Ichigo arched slightly at that feeling, panting softly as Grimmjow's tail lashed in pleasure. Blue eyes met brown, sexual tension and pleasure singing between them as Grimmjow jerked up his hips, making Ichigo's eyes go wide. "Grimmjow!"

"I love it when you say my name like that." Grimmjow said heavily, making Ichigo moan softly. "Mmm." He stopped with the hand fucking, getting a disappointed groan from his mate. But he wanted to be inside. "You ready?"

"Oh yes." Ichigo said and that was all the encouragement he needed to lift up his lover's hips and take him in a smooth, firm motion. "Grimmjow!" Ichigo's head fell back, exposing his throat and Grimmjow took advantage of that, attacking the smooth skin. One of Ichigo's hands went behind his neck, sliding through smooth blue hair and gently puncturing his skin, letting little droplets of blood fall down onto the eagle beneath him. "Mmm!" Grimmjow hissed in pain, but that only heightened his desire as he slammed into the body beneath him, savoring the warm, tight feeling around him and the beautiful scent that was his mate.

"Ichigo." He let his rumbling purr vibrate through the man beneath him, and smiled as he saw how undone Ichigo looked. He was flushed and panting, letting Grimmjow stroke him and take him, feeling the panther buried to the hilt inside him. "You're fucking amazing." He breathed into that long orange hair, hearing as bone wings trembled with the pleasure he was inflicting on his mate.

"You're… incredibly… Grimm… ngh!" Ichigo's pleasure was reaching a peak, but Grimmjow wasn't done yet. He gripped the base of Ichigo's erection tightly, then began to slam into him even faster, howling his own pleasure as the other land guard trembled and quivered around him. "Agh! Grimmjow!" Ichigo's eagle scream sent a jolt of pleasure through him, and Grimmjow growled as he took him faster and faster. The force of his thrusts was making the bed squeak and the wooden frame move, but neither of them cared. All they cared about was the heat and pleasure between them, the glory of this moment.

Grimmjow claimed Ichigo's mouth just as he let go of his erection, allowing the eagle to find his desperately desired release. The tight clenching around him and the muffled scream of his mate easily took him over, and Grimmjow shuddered in ecstasy as he found his release.

They lay together for a long moment, neither one wanting to move as they basked in the afterglow. Grimmjow finally sighed and stirred, glancing down at the mess on both of them. Carefully pulling away, he let his armor come back and looked for a rag. They'd gotten several of them, and they were all clean at the moment. Ichigo just watched with a small smile as Grimmjow cleaned them both up. And that was how the blue haired land guard liked it. He enjoyed taking care of his mate at times like these.

"This would be make up sex, wouldn't it?" Ichigo suddenly said and Grimmjow grinned, amused at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess it would." He leaned down and gave Ichigo a deep, searching kiss. "Maybe we should fight more often, hey?"

"No we shouldn't." Ichigo said firmly, wrapping himself around Grimmjow as the land guard lay down beside him. "We should just have sex more." He said sleepily, surprising a laugh out of his lover.

"More than almost every night? You're gonna kill me, kid. But what a way to go." That made him remember their first time together, and Grimmjow grinned again before he soundly kissed his eagle lover. "Get to sleep."

Tomorrow would be dinner with the Queen, and after talking to Starrk he was almost looking forward to it.


	14. The Broken Lands

Ichigo looked around curiously as they were ushered into the private dining room.

Compared to the great hall they'd met the Queen in, this was a very nice, cozy little room. There were no windows, probably for security, but instead of torches there were lights of the sort Szayel used. They illuminated a room that was the same grey stone as the rest of the castle, but was softened with stylish touches.

For the first time, Ichigo saw genuine artwork in the Inuziri, and it captured his imagination. There was a great picture on the wall, but instead of paint it was sand. The tones were all natural, except for the black of the nighttime sky, and it portrayed a vast and endless desert broken with tremendous rock formations. Ichigo didn't have to ask what it was. It was Hueco Mundo, in all its glory. Little chips of glittering stones had been used to make the stars, and directed lights highlighted the beauty of the piece.

It wasn't the only piece of art, either. A very large woven basket took up one corner of the room, filled with odd, curved and polished sticks that had bands of leather and feathers attached to them. In the centre of the circular table was another woven basket, this one small and delicate and holding a bouquet of flowers. They weren't real, though. Nothing grew in the city, so the bouquet was actually chips of polished stones held together with bronze wire to create the image of flowers.

Ichigo took his seat at the table, smiling politely at the Queen. Guadalupe was in her unsealed form, now, and he could see she was certainly a wolf. She had a headband of bone similar to Grimmjow's, and her canine ears twitched at her daughter as Lilynette grabbed a stick of scorpions and began to eat them. Lilynette sat on her left side, and Starrk on her right, across from his daughter. Ichigo and Grimmjow took the last two chairs in the circle, sitting beside each other and across from the Queen.

"Hello Ichigo, Grimmjow." Guadalupe said with a small smile that revealed only a bit of her very sharp teeth. Ichigo knew that was likely a friendly gesture. Wide grins could be hostile, although Grimmjow grinned all the time, both when he was hostile and when he was happy. "Thank you for joining us."

"As if we'd say no." Grimmjow said, eyeing the food on the table. "That looks good." Ichigo followed his gaze and blinked. It did look good, but it was also unusual. It was slow cooked bison short ribs, but instead of the usual spice blend he could see that something tomato based had been used. There was also a dish of roasted carrots and another of baked beans, all of which made his mouth water. The Queen went first, serving Lilynette and then herself. Starrk went next, and Grimmjow glanced at him for a moment. Ichigo gestured for him to go with a smile, and waited until he was done to take his share. This was family style, and there was plenty of food to go around.

"The vegetables are from trade with the Lazare. There are some connections, although most people aren't aware of them." Guadalupe said as she bit into her ribs. "Connections that are made in the Broken Lands." Ichigo looked up sharply at that.

"How are connections made there?" He asked, but it was Starrk that answered.

"It is said that the Broken Lands where the place the breaking of the worlds was initiated. You know the story behind that?" Ichigo and Grimmjow both nodded. Everyone knew that story.

Back in the early times, there had been only one world. Wild lands and farmed had tangled together, and the Lazare and Inuziri had lived together. But then there had been a crisis. A monster had tried to suck the life out of the land, and efforts to contain and kill it had failed. Driven to utter desperation, the Lazare and Inuziri had worked together to shatter the world. The sundering had killed the monster, as its essence was caught between both realities and was torn in half. At least, they thought it had been killed. As far as Ichigo and Grimmjow knew, that had never been confirmed or denied.

"Well, the Broken Lands are a weak point in reality. They're the best spot to make connections between the Lazare and the Inuziri. We send trade missions there, along with a Power, to open portals into the Lazare." Ichigo's eyes widened as Starrk explained. This was the first he'd heard of this! "It's a tremendous drain on the Power, so it's not done very often. But it can be worthwhile."

"That explains how the Queen's court had smoked salmon sometimes." Ichigo said. He'd only seen it once, thinly sliced on crackers with cheese, as an appetizer. But he'd wondered at the time where it had come from. Starrk nodded as Grimmjow laughed.

"Everyone loves smoked salmon. So are we goin' on a trade mission to the Lazare?" He asked and Starrk shook his head, glancing at the Queen. She smiled and picked up the conversation.

"Not exactly. Do you know what that set of tablets was for, Grimmjow?" He shook his head and her smile widened into a grin. "They were a detailed record of how the sundering was accomplished. Now that we have the final tablet, we have everything we need to undo the damage."

"What?" Ichigo said, stunned. "You mean… undo the sundering?" She nodded and he swallowed hard. "But what will that do to the land?"

"Can it get any worse?" Starrk said softly as the two land guards looked at him. "I started as a land guard, you know. And most Powers get to see what happens in their lands. This is a nightmare, and it shouldn't be this way. Plants should be edible, not filled with crystals." Grimmjow scratched his hair, thinking.

"What will this do to the Destroyer?" He asked, which was a very good question. "Hey boss, you listening? What d'you think of this?"

_I think the Creator will have a heart attack._ The malicious satisfaction in that dark voice made Grimmjow snicker and Ichigo smile. _As for me… I'm honestly not certain. The Creator and I were once the same entity. _Ichigo swallowed, trying to imagine that. Imagination failed, which was probably just as well. _If you can truly undo the damage, we will recombine._ The Destroyer sounded calm, but then, he'd had to have known this was coming for a while.

"That doesn't bother you? I thought you said you thought the Creator was a sexless prig." Grimmjow said and Ichigo choked a little at that description. It was unkind but accurate.

_Honestly? I hate it. But Starrk is right, this is not how things should be. And the monster is dead now. It lingered for a while, but it's gone._ The Destroyer sounded very certain of that. _It's time, and while I'm a bastard, I'm not selfish enough to deny it._ Ichigo blinked and wondered. Would the Creator be selfish enough to deny it? _Probably. Selfishness is part of his nature._

"Huh!" Ichigo blinked as Lilynette laughed. Guadalupe and Starrk managed to restrain themselves as Grimmjow grinned.

"But the problem is, the ritual must be performed on both sides at the same time, by the Lazare and the Inuziri." Guadalupe said and Ichigo winced. "That's why we're sending a mission to the broken lands. And the Queen will know you and Grimmjow, which should help."

"If anything will." Ichigo muttered. He thought the Queen might actually be very interested in this. He didn't know her well, but she might long for love just as he had. But the Creator was another story. On the other hand, the Queen could defy the Creator if she chose. "Well, there's nothing to do but try."

"That's the spirit!" Lilynette said with a cheeky grin, lifting her fork with a bit of bison on it. "Keep on fighting!" Coming from a child, that was adorable and Grimmjow laughed, a warm chuckle.

"You'll be a fine land guard someday." He told the child, who beamed at the praise. Her father smiled almost sadly, and Ichigo could guess why. No parent liked to send their child into danger, but from Lilynette's aura land guard was definitely where she would be. She was probably already being prepared for it, although Ichigo was certain she wasn't going to the Academy. Even in the Lazare, a Queen or King's child would be privately tutored.

The rest of the meal was very pleasant, and Ichigo deeply enjoyed the chance to eat vegetables again. Starrk and Guadalupe were both good conversationalists, and Starrk often made his mate laugh with his observations about the people in the palace. Ichigo smiled, feeling good about their mission. Szayel worried him a bit, but being with Starrk for months would not be a hardship.

To Ichigo's mild surprise, there was a dessert course. Instead of something sweet, though, it was baked cheese with fruit chutney that must have come from the Lazare. The chutney was slightly sweet and a bit spicy, and went with the cheese very well. Ichigo enjoyed every bite.

Then they said their goodnights, and Lilynette hugged them both. Ichigo smiled, yet felt a touch sad as he held the young girl. He wasn't sure why Lilynette had stayed with Starrk, but he knew his offspring wouldn't do that. Not with Grimmjow as a dam. Their cub would be as wild and untamed as the Inuziri.

"What you thinkin'?" Grimmjow asked quietly as they walked back to their room. Ichigo took his hand with a small smile.

"Just wishing our child could be like Lilynette." He said softly, sadly. Not to his surprise, Grimmjow shook his head.

"Nah. Starrk's a power, he had an entire fraccion to take care of the brat. And it's no surprise that lazy wolf's kid would stick around, she was probably just as lazy as him." Grimmjow said and Ichigo blinked. "Good thing it looks like she grew out of it. She'll be a fine land guard… but we can't take care of a kid like that. We'll probably get posted to Hueco Mundo, and we'll have to hunt down sand worms and dwellers. A hatchling could get killed way too easily."

"I know. I know!" Ichigo sighed, stopping and putting his arms around Grimmjow, hiding his face against the other man's neck and breathing in his scent. It was heavy with the musk of pregnancy. He didn't know how he'd missed it before. "I love you." He said, his voice muffled, and felt warm arms around him.

"I love you too." Grimmjow whispered in his ear and Ichigo sniffed a little before smiling. "I know it hurts. I remember how Rukia and Renji looked when their snake took off. But I'll be beside ya when it happens, and we'll always have each other." That did help and Ichigo took a deep breath before gently kissing his land guard lover on the cheek.

"Prove it." He said teasingly and was pleased as Grimmjow grinned.

"Oh yeah?" Grimmjow said before pressing him against the wall and nibbling on the soft skin of his throat. "Want to do it right here? If anyone walks by they'll probably watch, hehe." Ichigo blushed at the thought and shook his head.

"There's not enough room for them to get by, and someone might poke you in the ass." He pointed out, making Grimmjow laugh. "Calm down, let's get to our room." He said with a smile, nipping his mate.

"Heh, right." He said and Ichigo felt much better as he went to his room, hand in hand with his mate. It might be hard, giving up their hatchling, but it would be the right thing to do. And he would always have Grimmjow by his side.

Instead of letting his mate take the lead, Ichigo immediately took over when they entered the room. He pressed Grimmjow against the wall, attacking his throat and reaching down to run his fingers over bone. Bone that obligingly vanished, letting him stroke the flaccid member and cup furry balls. Grimmjow's cock quickly went erect and Ichigo smiled as he looked into brilliant blue eyes.

"Could you seal up for me?" He asked and Grimmjow nuzzled his cheek before complying. He watched as the bone vanished then lowered his head, giving that scar a slow, sensual lick.

"Oh fuck!" Grimmjow had to grip the wall as his legs tried to give way under that sudden, pleasurable assault. Ichigo gripped his waist, then slid his hands beneath the land guard, holding him up easily. Then he licked that scar again, eliciting a sharp groan. Pale hands tangled in orange hair and Ichigo smiled before gently kissing that sensitive skin. "Ichigo… fuck…" Grimmjow was panting and he decided to leave off the teasing, moving to his throat instead. He nipped the soft, sweet skin, lapping up the small droplets of blood.

"Still tastes wonderful." Ichigo murmured, unable to believe that blood could taste that good. He knew it was the hormones from the egg, but it was still amazing, a fire on his tongue. "Mmm." That taste and the sweet smell of Grimmjow inflamed his lust, and he kissed his lover soundly.

_Now this is the worst case of mating sickness I've ever seen._ Ichigo ignored the Destroyer's comment, licking the shell of Grimmjow's ear. Then he positioned himself at the land guard's entrance, silently asking if he was ready. At Grimmjow's nod he smoothly thrust inside.

"Gh!" Grimmjow tossed his head back and Ichigo was instantly on his throat, exploring the soft, velvety skin. "Nngh, ah!" Ichigo was still sealed and pale fingers bit into bone, leaving bruises as he took Grimmjow rough and fast. The other land guard's back scraped against the grey stone wall, but he didn't complain about the mild pain.

"Grimmjow." Ichigo whispered his name as he felt his lover's walls flutter around him, tightening over his length. Blue eyes met brown and Grimmjow pulled him in for a kiss, running a hand through his long orange hair. "You feel amazing." He said softly, almost moaning at another contraction. Grimmjow was panting, blue eyes half-closed with the pleasure.

"So do you… shit…" Grimmjow gasped, his legs clamped tightly around Ichigo's waist. Ichigo shook his head so his hair spilled over Grimmjow's chest, gently teasing his scar with the silky strands. "Shit!" Ichigo stared into his face, enraptured by the expression there, the light flush on Grimmjow's cheeks and the way he was softly panting. It was beautiful, gorgeous, and he thought the land guard looked more like an angel than any Lazare.

Ichigo nuzzled Grimmjow's throat, nipping again and lapping up the delicious blood. Grimmjow just tilted his head back, giving him more access as every thrust shoved him harder into the wall. Ichigo noticed something, but couldn't give it any attention as Grimmjow tightened around him, sending a jolt of pleasure through his already heated groin. The other land guard was approaching his orgasm, he could tell, and Ichigo speeded his thrusts. He wanted his mate to come first.

Of course, there was an easy way to ensure that. Ichigo grinned wickedly. It wasn't very fair, since he didn't have a pleasure point like it, but he wasn't above taking advantage of it. Lowering his face, he gave Grimmjow's scar a slow, sensual lick.

"AH!" Ichigo drove in hard as his mate tensed, his muscles going taunt as he almost came. A second lick, just as teasing as the first, decided matters and Grimmjow cried out as he exploded, his seed splattering his belly and chest. "Ichigo!" Hearing his name like that, the primal pleasure in Grimmjow's voice, took Ichigo over the edge. A few hard thrusts and he released into his lover, letting the world hear his pleasure with a bird-like cry.

They both stayed that way for a moment, trembling with the aftershocks. They gently kissed then, deep and affectionate. Grimmjow sighed and lowered his legs as Ichigo pulled away. But the orange haired land guard stayed close, gently setting a hand on Grimmjow's abdomen for a moment, ignoring the sticky mess.

"I can feel a little bump." Ichigo said, feeling a combination of elated and apprehensive. Elated, because this was his offspring. Apprehensive because it would be his first. Even if they wouldn't be caring for it after the hatching, he still cared for the child, deeply. And they would need to make sure it would safely hatch.

"Oh yeah." Grimmjow didn't sound enthusiastic and he sighed as Ichigo shot him a questioning look. "That means the shell is starting to form. Until then, you can't tell at all, but now it's going to start getting obvious. And my power will go down." He said reluctantly before giving Ichigo a hard look. "Just don't try to wrap me in cotton, alright?" He growled and Ichigo smiled.

"As long as you don't dive into any sand worms like a lunatic." He teased gently. "And don't get impaled by any dwellers." He said with a small shudder. That time when Grimmjow had been dying had been painful, and he never, ever wanted anything like it to happen again.

"Well, just don't stand there like an idiot when a dweller tries to impale you." Grimmjow said humorously. "Or you'll be done for. I'm not taking the blow for you, with an egg in my belly." That actually pleased Ichigo and he kissed Grimmjow warmly.

"I wouldn't want you to." It would kill him, losing his mate and egg, so there would be no point anyway. They finally parted and Grimmjow found the rags, cleaning himself off and passing one to Ichigo. As soon as they were clean, the land guard unsealed his power and Ichigo looked at him carefully. He couldn't see the little bump at all with the bone in the way, but he knew it was there.

And the first visible sign of that little life made him feel warm inside.

* * *

Ichigo squatted down on the broken ground, taking a brief rest.

Grimmjow might claim that Starrk was lazy, but Ichigo had seen no sign of it on this trip. They had gone through the plains like a whirlwind, taking the quickest sustainable pace they could. Szayel was more athletic than Ichigo would have expected. The pink haired Power had kept up easily, and now that he wasn't wearing a robe Ichigo could tell that he was some kind of insect type, with odd, bone covered wings on his back. They reminded him of a beetle's wings and according to Grimmjow, insects were even rarer than bird types. Not just because fewer were hatched, but because they tended to be slyer and less direct than birds, so they were even harder to catch.

The rest of their companions consisted of two land guards. They were both very powerful and Ichigo was glad to have them just for that, but he didn't care much for Cirucci. She was rude and cocky, which was probably at least a bit warranted with her power. But she also liked to subtly taunt the other land guards around her, and unfortunately, Grimmjow was an easy target. The egg he was carrying and his rapidly waning power level gave her plenty of ammunition. Ichigo glanced up as Grimmjow squatted down beside him.

"I swear to the Destroyer. If that bitch asks me if I need a pillow or extra blankets one more time, I am going to fuck start her face." Grimmjow said quietly and Ichigo grimaced before nodding. Cirucci had a sickly sweet tone that she used whenever she said something like that, and it pissed them both off. Unfortunately, she was Szayel's fraccion and he seemed to find it amusing.

"She's a bitch." He agreed quietly, watching as the last land guard spoke quietly to Starrk. His name was Dordoni, and he was a flamboyant sort, with neatly trimmed and styled hair. He also seemed to be some kind of cat, but a bigger, more bulky type than Grimmjow. Ichigo thought he liked him, although they hadn't spoken much yet.

Cirucci and Dordoni were both very strong, or they wouldn't have been taken on this mission, but they weren't the very height of the land guard class, not like Ichigo and Grimmjow. Or rather, just Ichigo at the moment. Ichigo turned his attention to Grimmjow and winced slightly. His powers had been drawn down significantly. He was no stronger than most of Barragan's old fraccion, now. Abirama wouldn't have hesitated to attack him like this.

"Your power has gone down so rapidly. Is that normal?" Ichigo asked softly, not wanting Cirucci to hear. Grimmjow nodded wearily.

"The egg is forming. That takes a lot of my strength. I'll be a bit better once the shell has finished forming." He ran a hand over his abdomen. It had only been a week worth of running, but the bump was becoming visible, even with his bones. The bone armor expanded easily to fit his new curve. "What do you think of the Broken Lands?" Grimmjow asked, changing the subject. Ichigo glanced around for a moment.

"Well, it's ugly." He said frankly, making the other land guard laugh. It was only the truth. Most of the Inuziri screamed of wildness and life. Even places like Hueco Mundo had a kind of barren glory, and there was plenty of life to be found in the shifting dunes.

The Broken Lands were different. The ground was cold and hard, a dull red color, broken and parched. Some plants tried to grow, cacti and tubers from Hueco Mundo, but the colonizing pioneers were clearly losing the fight for survival. The only animals they had seen were bugs. And this broken land seemed to stretch on forever, although Ichigo knew it was actually a relatively small area. They could have run through it in less than two days.

"It's not really that ugly, it just makes you feel bad." Grimmjow commented and Ichigo blinked at the strange thought. "I think we know in our bones that something bad happened here. You just want to get out before something bad happens again."

"Uh, maybe." Ichigo tilted his head, thinking about it for a moment. Now that Grimmjow mentioned it… "I think you're right. It's probably because the sundering happened here." That event had been incredibly traumatic, no matter how necessary it was. Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah." The land guard stood, and Ichigo followed, giving his body a long, full stretch. "Looks like Starrk and Szayel are ready to make the portal." Ichigo followed his pointing finger and nodded. Starrk and Szayel were facing each other, beaconing for their fraccion to join them.

That meant Ichigo and Grimmjow needed to go, as well. Grimmjow stood with Cirucci, behind Szayel, and Ichigo joined Dordoni behind Starrk. They would provide additional energy if the Powers required it, which they likely wouldn't. A single Power could open the portal between worlds here, where the barriers were weak.

Watching the portal be made was interesting. Grimmjow and the other land guards didn't have the education to appreciate what they were witnessing, but Ichigo did. He watched curiously as the power spun up, trying to decipher how the portal was built. He was getting a grip on the basic concept when the portal finished forming and bright light spilled through.

"Everyone get through." Starrk ordered, and Ichigo didn't have to be told twice. He was the first to step through. He would be in front of his mate, to protect him from all possible harm. Although it was unlikely anyone from the Lazare would harm them.

But you never knew, and they had an egg to protect.


	15. Queen of the Lazare

The first thing Ichigo felt after stepping through the portal was the cold.

It was a brutal, pitiless cold, made of high winds and air so cold it practically burned. He shivered violently at the touch of it, his bones rattling. Behind him, Grimmjow growled and Ichigo looked back to see the land guard's ears flattened tight to his head. Then Grimmjow sneezed and he had to smile before turning his attention to the world in front of them.

"Oh. The Roof of the World. Of course." Ichigo said as he looked over the grey, cracked surface around them. It was amazing how similar it was to the Broken Lands. But there were no stubborn plants here, trying to recolonize this ground. This was the one place in the Lazare that nothing grew. "…"

The Roof of the World has the highest, and largest of the floating islands. Ichigo looked up and swallowed as he saw the dancing colors of the heavens. He'd heard of that strange phenomenon but never seen it until now. No one went to the Roof of the World if they could help it, which explained how contact with the Inuziri could have gone unnoticed. The Queen probably kept some kind of lookout here for trade delegations.

Sure enough. It was no time at all before they were approached by a pair of land wards. To Ichigo's shock, they were both wearing bone armor very similar to the Inuziri. He'd never seen any Lazare with such a thing.

_It's the cold. It activates the need for bone armor._ Ichigo reeled at that revelation from the Destroyer. That had to mean… _That Lazare and Inuziri are the same? Oh yes._

"Then why… nevermind." Ichigo muttered. He didn't have time to ask about eggs and why Inuziri had them when Lazare didn't. Starrk was greeting the land wards, completely unsurprised by their appearance. But when Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow, he saw the land guard was as wide eyed as he'd probably been.

"Oh Ichigo, sweety, you should stay near Grimmjow." Cirucci's too sweet tone made both of them grit their teeth and Ichigo thought longingly of punching her in the face. "It's a long way down from here and the poor thing might not be able to make it."

"Shut the hell up bitch!" Grimmjow flared, then hesitated. "How far up are we?" He asked warily, glancing around. Ichigo sighed.

"You remember how high we got when we mated on the wing?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded. "Over twice as high." The land guard went pale at that and Cirucci laughed mockingly. Then Grimmjow growled, taking a step towards her. Every line of his body screamed aggression but Ichigo grabbed his arm, holding him back. Right now, Cirucci could beat him senseless.

"I see someone has pregnancy hormones." Cirucci cooed and Ichigo felt Grimmjow vibrate with rage. "Don't hurt yourself dear. I'll go see if Szayel needs anything." She walked away, flaunting her skirt of bone at them. Grimmjow swore quietly.

"I swear I will end that bitch after I've laid my egg, see if I don't." He snarled quietly and Ichigo wondered if he was serious. Probably.

"Szayel wouldn't like it. Just leave it be, Grimmjow. C'mon, Starrk wants us." The Power was gesturing to them. The land wards watched them approach warily, but Ichigo caught a flicker of recognition in their eyes.

"We're going to be going down to the usual transshipment point." Starrk said quietly. "It's a floating island about halfway down from here. Grimmjow, do you think you can fly that far?" Grimmjow took a deep breath, clearly holding back a hot reply, and carefully thought about it. He finally shook his head. "Ichigo, help him." Ichigo nodded, avoiding Grimmjow's gaze. He knew his mate would absolutely hate admitting his weakness, but flying long distances wasn't something he did well normally, let alone now. For a moment he mentally cursed Cirucci. This would have been so much easier if it hadn't been for her comments.

The Roof of the World was a large chunk of rock, but they had come out near one of the edges. They flew down, with the land wards serving as escorts. Ichigo carried his mate and Grimmjow buried his face against his neck.

"You should look. The Lazare looks like a patchwork quilt from up here." Ichigo said softly and Grimmjow raised his head, glancing down with apprehension.

"Huh." The apprehension turned to fascination and Ichigo smiled at the change. "It really does. That's weird. Is that the farms?"

"Yes. We always use squares in farming. Probably because they're easier to make than a circle or a trapezoid." Ichigo joked and Grimmjow laughed.

"Trapezoid? That would be fucking funny. Can you just picture it, down there? Nothing but trapezoids." Grimmjow gestured at the farmlands beneath them. "Although, they wouldn't fit together. I know! The empty spots could have the houses."

"That would be a lot of houses." Ichigo said with a smile. "Maybe they could have the orchards. It would be so weird looking. What about hexagons?" They spent the flight coming up with progressively sillier and sillier possibilities for the configurations of the Lazare. They were working on waves when they finally reached the transshipment point.

This island of rock was still cold, but far more comfortable than the Roof of the World. And unlike the Roof, plants grew here. In fact, the island was a great herb garden, growing certain things that required coolness and aridity. Ichigo had never raised any of these plants, although he could recognize them. Grimmjow looked around curiously, and Ichigo took his hand. It felt good, having that warm paw in his grip.

"Not bad." Grimmjow said, looking at the transshipment point. It was a small manor house, built out of grey stone and comfortable looking. "I wouldn't say no to some heat. This place is a damn sight chilly." He shivered again and Ichigo nodded. Grimmjow always preferred the heat, not surprising with his background in Hueco Mundo. The sands could get chilly at night, but by and large they were a place of burning heat.

The land wards escorted them inside the building, and Ichigo noticed that they both had animal attributes when they wore bone armor as well. That made him wonder though. When a land guard sealed away, most of their power was locked up. Clearly it wasn't the same for the land wards, but why?

_No idea. An aesthetic decision by the Creator?_ The Destroyer offered and Ichigo couldn't help but giggle.

"I'm shocked you even know what aesthetic means." He whispered, smiling as the Destroyer laughed. Glancing around, Ichigo saw the house was well furnished, with big wooden chairs with thick, brown cushions. Grimmjow found the couch, settling into it with a sigh, and Ichigo curled up beside him. The land guard did feel very cold, his bone armor chilly to the touch. But he was rapidly warming in the heat of the house.

"Is the poor dear feeling better?" Cirucci said in her smarmiest tone. Grimmjow just grumbled and buried his face against Ichigo's neck, trying to ignore her.

"Much better, and we're having a moment here, so could you please leave us alone?" Ichigo said, driven to near hostility. Cirucci just sneered and turned away, but then an agile tail twisted around one of her ankles. Ichigo watched in surprise as she squawked and nearly tumbled to the floor before catching herself. "You bastard cat!" Her fist flashed out and Ichigo erupted from the couch with a snarl, intercepting the blow meant for Grimmjow.

"Cirucci. Ichigo." Starrk's tone was calm but deadly and all three of the land guards winced as his power filled the room, easily cowing them. Grimmjow hissed, tucking his tail around his waist. "No fighting. Cirucci, see to Szayel." The woman hesitated a moment before bowing her head in reluctant acceptance and flouncing out of the room. Starrk followed her, and Ichigo hoped he would speak to Szayel about all this.

"I'm surprised she'd try to hit me." Grimmjow muttered and Ichigo nodded. That would get Cirucci absolutely no support from anyone, with Grimmjow's condition. "I wonder what bug crawled up her ass? She doesn't know me, it can't be personal."

"Hm?" Ichigo blinked at the thought. He'd assumed Cirucci was just a bitch and bothering them because Grimmjow was an easy target. "You think there's something behind it?" He asked and Grimmjow shrugged.

"I didn't until she tried to hit me, but that was going too far. Maybe she doesn't like to see a man having an egg, who knows." He said and Ichigo frowned. He knew some people did find the male-male options of reproduction disgusting. That could be a huge problem for a man abandoned by his mate, if he didn't have friends or family to look out for him. "Well, whatever. I hope she gets eaten by a sand worm."

"Ditto." Ichigo wouldn't miss Cirucci one bit. "So what are we doing now? Just waiting for the delegation from the Lazare?" Grimmjow nodded.

"Starrk is requesting a personal meeting with your Queen, so this'll take a while." He said and Ichigo nodded. That would have to go through several layers, and then the Queen would have to decide. And when she made her decision, whatever it was, the land wards would have to prepare the way for her.

"It will probably be days before we get a response." Ichigo said, but the thought didn't bother him much. They had warmth, food, and the strength of two Powers to protect them. His mate was perfectly safe and actually a little pampered here, with all the amenities. "Would you like to take a bath? I bet this place has a hot tub." There were some serious benefits to civilization, and hot tubs were definitely among them. Grimmjow grinned at the thought.

"Would I!" He shoved himself off the couch and they went in search of the hot tub. What they found was even more impressive. "Destroyer! What is this?" Grimmjow was dumbfounded and Ichigo laughed.

_I have no idea, but it looks like fun._ Came the comment and Grimmjow grinned as he began sealing his power. Ichigo followed suit. There was no threat here, and while they could bathe with their bone armor on, just sealing up sections to reach the skin, it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

They had found a grotto, built into the stone beneath the house. A great wooden skylight was above them, venting the hot, moist air and letting in the cold from outdoors. Beautiful pools of hot water surrounded them, and seats had been built into the stone so they could sit and enjoy the heat. Ichigo had an idea of what this place was. Some of the floating islands had 'hot spots' caused by the power that kept them in the air. Someone was clearly using this one to heat water for the grotto. The water itself probably had to be renewed regularly, as well as filtered and purified, but Ichigo wasn't going to worry about that. He slid into the water with a sigh, Grimmjow following with a warm, content sound.

"Best feeling ever." Grimmjow said blissfully, hooking his arms against the edge of the pool. Ichigo nodded, closing his eyes for a moment in pleasure. "Mmm. Heh. This is nice, but I can't stay in too long. Might scramble my egg." He said, resting a hand over his abdomen and Ichigo winced at the thought. "Don't worry, I'll know when I've had enough."

"Oh good." Ichigo certainly did not want their egg to be scrambled. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but it sounded bad. When Grimmjow decided the heat of the water was enough, he pulled himself out and sat down on the edge of the pool, legs in the water. Ichigo smiled as warm fingers combed through his wet hair, parting the heavy strands. He rested his cheek against Grimmjow's leg, enjoying the contact. "I think we've found heaven." He said drowsily. Grimmjow laughed softly.

"Something close to it, anyway." The blue haired land guard waited until he was chilled again before sliding back into the water. "Ah, bliss." Ichigo found he was overheating a touch too, and decided to sit on the edge for a moment.

"Ichigo? Grimmjow? Where – ah." They both looked up as Starrk stepped into the room. The Power glanced around, amused, then chuckled. "This looks very nice. Would you mind some company?"

"Not a bit." Ichigo said instantly. The hot springs were quite large, meant for far more than two people. Starrk began sealing his power and Ichigo smiled. "You were looking for us?"

"Mmm? Oh yes. I had a chat with Szayel, he's going to rein Cirucci in more firmly." Starrk said, half-closing his eyes. "I'm not entirely sure what her problem is, but she's not my fraccion so not my business." They both nodded. Powers did not mess with each other's fraccions. "The message has been sent, but we probably won't get a reply for a week or two. The bureaucracy is ponderous around here." He said with a sigh and Ichigo nodded. He knew all about that. Grimmjow quietly purred.

"A week or two in this place? Shit, I'm so down for that. Just get me back to Mundo to lay my egg." Ichigo laughed and kissed him on the cheek. The other land guard nestled up to him, then quietly cursed. "Too hot." He pulled himself out of the water again and Starrk frowned, standing up and walking over to gently rest a hand on his stomach.

"Mmm. The egg is just fine, but make sure you're careful. You don't want to addle the poor thing's brains." He warned and Grimmjow nodded as Ichigo winced. Starrk gave him an amused glance. "Hot water is a particular danger for eggs. We warn our students about it because there are hot springs in the Hielo Arena, and as cold as that place is, they get quite a bit of land guard traffic."

"I see." He said. That made sense. Natural hot springs were not something he'd ever seen before, though. The Lazare didn't have any that he knew of. Grimmjow sighed and stood up, stretching for a moment before unsealing his power.

"I think I've had enough anyway. I'm going to go look for some food." Grimmjow grinned as Ichigo blinked in surprise. "I might not need to eat but damn, the food is good around here."

"I'll come too." Ichigo said instantly. Grimmjow had a point, and he'd definitely missed fruits and vegetables during his time in the Inuziri. Meat was great, but sometimes he wanted some fresh berries or a carrot.

It didn't take long for them to rustle up a small meal. It was nothing fancy, just some sliced apples, carrots and cauliflower with salsa for dip. They both enjoyed it, though, and Dordoni came by the check out what they were doing.

"What are those things?" He asked, poking the cauliflower and Ichigo smiled, reminded that the other land guard might never have seen edible vegetables in his life.

"They're cauliflower. They don't taste like much on their own, but they're great with the salsa. Try one." He urged the man and the other land guard looked dubious for a moment before trying one.

"Ah, I like the salsa! Tangy." He said approvingly. "Just like those fermented worms they make in the Furioso Selva." Ichigo blinked as Grimmjow suddenly went pale and bent over. "Oh, sorry. You don't like those?"

"I… did like them. Right now the thought is making me feel sick." The land guard said through gritted teeth. "Sorry. Fucking egg is messing with me." Dordoni nodded sympathetically, licking a bit of salsa off his mustache.

"Sorry about that. Think about smoked salmon." He said encouragingly and that actually seemed to help, as Grimmjow managed to straighten, the whiteness leaving his skin. Ichigo gently put an arm around his shoulders and Grimmjow smiled, leaning against him. He noticed the land guard avoided the salsa, though, taking a piece of apple and crunching it. "What are these orange things?"

"Carrots." Ichigo answered. "They grow in the ground like tubers." It really was amusing, teaching a land guard about plants. He'd done it before with Grimmjow. "They're really great if you cook them in butter with cinnamon." Of course, the land guard probably wouldn't know cinnamon either, but he would know butter. Plenty of herding went on in the Inuziri.

"Everything is better with butter." Grimmjow said with good humor that vanished as Cirucci entered the room. But she studiously ignored them all, just walking through on her way to somewhere else. Dordoni didn't speak, just crunching his carrot until she was gone.

"Well, jovenzuelo, I was wondering if you both might like to come practice?" He said cheerfully, poking Grimmjow's growing stomach. "No need to let your skills get rusty, eh? We can take it easy so we won't hurt the little bebe." The land guard laughed, standing up and stretching.

"I'd love it. Feels like forever since I've had a spar. You down Ichigo?" He asked his mate and Ichigo nodded with a smile.

"Of course!" If Grimmjow was going to be sparring, Ichigo would be there. And he wanted to practice against someone he could go full out on. He simply couldn't use his full power against Grimmjow, not right now, and even his mate was willing to acknowledge that. Not very gracefully, but still. "Let's go." He grabbed one final carrot and crunched it as they headed outside. There was already a practice ground set up, not surprising since the land wards stayed here all the time.

He was going to enjoy staying here until the Queen arrived.

* * *

"How do I look?" Grimmjow asked and Ichigo tried to think of something diplomatic to say. "I think I look like a python that swallowed a rat." That made the orange haired land guard choke.

"Nice comparison!" He said teasingly. It was pretty apt, though. Grimmjow had his powers sealed and he was wearing the loose, flowing pants he'd bought to see the Queen of the Inuziri. His wisdom in making them flowing was obvious, since they did still fit. But his condition was very obvious. "You look very healthy." That was the best he could do, and it was the truth. Grimmjow was looking great, aside from his growing belly. The land guard shot him a wicked grin.

"Isn't that like telling a girl she's got a great personality? Ah, it'll do. It's not like anyone's going to be looking at me anyway." He said easily and Ichigo decided not to point out that he was wrong. The Lazare had children so rarely that anyone pregnant, male or female, was usually made much of. He was sure the Queen and her escorts would be fascinated to see a pregnant Inuziri, particularly one they already knew.

It had been a week since their arrival, and the Queen was meeting them here. That meant certain preparations had to be made to receive her, mainly security based. Queen or King of the Lazare was not a position that changed as frequently as it did in the Inuziri, but it could change violently. The land wards did everything they could to prevent that.

The main floor of the mansion had a ballroom, and that area was more than large enough to hold all of them and the Queen's guards and attendants. Fully dressed and presentable, Ichigo and Grimmjow left their room to take their places behind Starrk and Szayel.

Ichigo spared a moment to examine Dordoni and Cirucci. Dordoni was wearing a rather elegant, tailored black suit. A little stick pin of gold with a tiny diamond was stuck in the lapel, and Ichigo wondered if the Inuziri had any mines. It probably did, there was no reason why it couldn't. He made a mental note to ask Grimmjow about it before turning his attention to Cirucci. She was wearing a rather lovely and expensive lavender dress. Ichigo knew it was expensive because of the color. When he and Grimmjow had been shopping, he'd found out how much that cost in the Inuziri, and purple was second only to royal blue in price. It did look good on her, though, and matched the marks on her face.

Compared to her, Starrk looked very plain. He was wearing black pants similar to Grimmjow's, and a vest embroidered with geometric patterns. He still wore his necklace of wolf's teeth, and had added leather cuffs decorated with more wolf fangs. He looked elegant and barbaric, and clearly preferred it that way. Szayel was dressed in a white suit, not expensive but very difficult to keep clean. Almost no one wore white in the Inuziri, but Ichigo supposed he made his fraccion take care of the cleaning.

Two land wards came into the room before the Queen, despite the fact that it had already been checked over. They both looked tough as nails and Ichigo could sense that they were both his match in power. They quickly checked the room for threats before taking their assigned positions, and the Queen walked into the room. She was wearing another tailored suit, although instead of white this one was sky blue. The color matched her eyes perfectly, and the bangles in her hair were blue topaz instead of diamond. Two land wards followed behind her, as well as someone he tentatively identified as a Seraphim. They were the Lazare equivalent of Powers, the final rank beneath the Queen.

Ichigo smiled to himself as Grimmjow suffered an immediate discomfort. All the land wards had to glance at him, even in the middle of their duties, and the Queen and the Seraphim both turned their full attention on him immediately. The Queen's professional smile softened into something more genuine and warm at the sight of him.

"Before we begin, may I see my former land warden and his mate?" She asked Starrk and he nodded, not particularly surprised. The Power had been to the Lazare before and knew how much they prized children. Ichigo took Grimmjow's hand, leading the reluctant land guard forward. "Ichigo. You look very happy. Has the Inuziri been treating you well?" She asked with a smile and he smiled back.

"It's been terrifying and exhilarating, and I love it." He replied and her smile widened as she glanced at Grimmjow. "I feel like I've found my home." It was so strange to feel that way. He hadn't been unhappy in the Lazare, but in retrospect he had felt stifled. It had all been too safe, and he'd never even realized he craved the danger.

"That's wonderful. And Grimmjow! You look wonderful. When will you lay your egg?" She asked and the land guard gave her the best approximate time they had. "Good, that should give us plenty of time. Would you mind if I…?" She asked, holding out her hand. Grimmjow hesitated a moment then nodded with a rueful smile.

"Everyone asks me that. Sure, go ahead." He said and Ichigo couldn't help but grin. That was nothing but the truth, pregnant bellies seemed to exert a strange magnetism on everyone. Well, except for Cirucci, she'd never asked. The Queen gentle rested her hand on his belly and Ichigo could feel her power gently touching the egg.

"Healthy and strong. Beautiful." She said softly before stepping back. "Thank you." She smiled and Ichigo bowed. Grimmjow followed a moment later, still not used to the gesture, and they both stepped behind Starrk again. "Well, I am very happy to see Ichigo and Grimmjow again, but I doubt that is why you came." She said as she turned her attention to Starrk and he nodded, gesturing to Szayel, who brought out the small casket of papers and information he'd amassed.

"Indeed. When he was here, Grimmjow spotted an absolutely critical tablet and took a tracing of it." Starrk said as Szayel opened the casket, extracting some papers. They were handed to a land ward, who checked them over before giving them to the Queen. She examined the writings, expressionless, as Starrk continued. "It was the only missing tablet to an important set. This particular set detailed the breaking of the Inuziri and the Lazare into separate lands." The Queen didn't react much beyond a nod, but the Seraphim behind her stiffened slightly and tried to look over her shoulder at the papers. "With this information, we believe that we can reverse the sundering. Szayel's work on that is detailed in a second book, that we've included. However, to complete this ritual would require cooperation between the Lazare and the Inuziri."

"Indeed." The Queen's tone was remote and thoughtful as she lowered the papers, meeting Starrks' gaze. "We never had this information, but I already see the implications. The ritual would have to be led by the royalty of both lands." Ichigo swallowed a bit at that. The Queen of the Lazare and the Queen of the Inuziri embodied the land itself, in some ways. It would be an absolutely massive working to bring the two of them together. But then, reversing the sundering would be massive. It had to be. "I will have to take these to my archivists and power analyzers, then discuss the matter with my Seraphim. This may take some time." She cautioned the Power but Starrk just nodded.

"This is not a decision that can be made quickly. But before you go to them, I should tell you that despite the danger and fears, the Queen of the Inuziri wishes to pursue this. She feels that the rift between the lands is unnatural and cannot be allowed to continue." He said, clearly hoping for some sign of the Queen's feelings. But she gave him nothing, just nodding.

"Thank you, Starrk. Please remain here as I confer with my Court." The Queen said formally and Starrk accepted the end of their audience with good grace. The Seraphim and the land wards collected the casket of information, handing it with care. Ichigo watched them go, hoping they would decide to follow through on this.

After seeing the Inuziri and the Lazare, he did not think it was best for the lands to be apart.

* * *

The Destroyer wasn't surprised to feel white hot rage heading right for him, in the existence between worlds. In fact, he'd been anticipating it with a great deal of pleasure.

_You unutterable bastard!_ That was only the beginning of the insults and the Destroyer patiently waited for the Creator to run out of vocabulary. It took a while, but he could be patient when he was stalking his prey.

_My, you seem a bit upset._ He finally said, almost setting the Creator off again. _Maybe you should try a meditation exercise; I'm told they work wonders._

_Shut up! How could you do this to us?_ The Creator demanded. _We can't stop them if they choose to do this! We could both die!_ The Destroyer stirred uncomfortably. He wasn't completely happy with what was going to happen, if the Queen's chose to follow through. And it would be their choice, in the end. Unlike the Powers and Seraphim beneath them, they could choose to defy the ultimate powers of the world, and they could not be easily removed. Not by the Creator or the Destroyer, at least.

_We will not die, only change. This is probably easier for me. Change is part of my nature._ The Destroyer really wasn't surprised that the Creator was having such a difficult time. His nature was nurturing but also more selfish and orderly. _We will recombine, return to what we once were._

_But you can't want that any more than I do. You hate what I am! _The Creator said and the Destroyer grumbled. That was nothing but the truth.

_And so? This is not just about us. In case you hadn't noticed, your Lazare are rotting away from within while my Inuziri die by the droves. This isn't right. It wasn't like this before. _Neither of them could clearly remember the past, but the Destroyer was sure of that. _And just because my land is the one where blood is spilled does not mean your land is doing any better. _He said sharply, knowing what the Creator would say. He always liked to maintain that the Lazare was a perfect place, without the wildness of the Inuziri.

_No! I hate you, and I reject you! I won't allow this._ The Creator said before vanishing back to his own places. The Destroyer was tempted to follow him, but there was really no point.

The Creator might struggle against it, but in the end the decision was not theirs.


End file.
